She Who Would Be King
by Hexzhana
Summary: Sarah once again faces dangers and challenges unnumbered. The drums of war have called her to arms, Sarah is the Goblin King's only champion. His only heir should he fall. Can she defend the Labyrinth, her friends, from the coming war? Inspired by Mad World by AnnissaM. (Personally, I consider Mad World cannon for what happened after the movie. It's that good.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Choice.

Sarah was sweating in the heat of the hotel kitchen, it was a weekend morning and she was getting close to losing her temper. She was supposed to be on vacation with her friends. Not here, with dozens of sleepy bleary eyed people to put up with.

Salty moisture beaded on Sarah's upper lip and she ducked her head down to wipe it on her apron. Bracing herself, she took her tray of donuts and swiftly walked out into the chaos of the hotel's breakfast area.

Ducking, swerving and pivoting, she avoided bumping into hotel guests and wove her way to the pastry setup to unload the small dry donuts that had only been defrosted the night before.

"Excuse me?"

Sarah looked up and immediately a friendly smile flashed on her face, "good morning ma'am, how can I help you?"

The frail old woman in front of her was holding a plate of eggs, Sarah wondered what she would think if she knew they came packaged in a plastic bag that was cooked in a microwave.

"There's no more pepper." the lady said, her blouse as yellow as her un-peppered eggs.

Sarah kept smiling but made her face move in an expression of apology, "I'm sorry ma'am, we're all out."

With a scoff of disgust the older woman immediately turned and walked away, Sarah's smile dropped and she resumed restocking the donuts while other guests bustled around her. She hurried back to the kitchen where her two other coworkers, an elderly couple, were keeping busy with microwaving eggs and cooking bacon. There was no stove to speak of, instead there was a toaster oven only a little bigger than the microwave they used. The heat hit her again and was only briefly cooled by the ancient fan that sat by the sink.

"How's it goin' in here?" Sarah asked.

"Fine, don't worry none," Anne said dourly, her hair was box dyed brown and she had a slow curve in her spine, wrinkles creased her face like many layers of old paper. Her husband Donald, a pot-bellied old man, was standing staring at the microwave that was in the middle of cooking another bag of eggs. Sarah quickly gathered a set of muffins on her tray and went back out into the fray, when breakfast was complimentary people ate, and ate, and ate.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face when she set her tray down in the kitchen, only to go back out and maneuver around the people in her way. Restocking forks, spoons, knives, napkins, plates, not even a ten second span of time passed between each 'excuse me' and 'pardon me' as she had to squeeze and dance her way around strangers hot human bodies.

It made her incredibly anxious, she never liked being in a crush of people, her personal space was a large bubble and her physical body a wall. It was taking Sarah everything she had to keep calm. Her mind ran through her mental exercises as she methodically wiped down the breakfast buffet.

_Breathe….breathe…. Just an hour left…. Just an hour…._

"Ma'am?"

Thoughts shattered, a smile reflexively twitched on Sarah's face, "good morning sir, how can I help you?" She was only half conscious that she spoke, but her mind cleared just in time to comprehend what he asked.

"Are you out of pepper?"

Still smiling Sarah replied, "unfortunately we ran out yesterday sir, I apologize,"

Sighing he turned, "it's alright," he said half heartedly as he walked away.

Sarah's smile dropped and she went back to cleaning the crumb-ridden surface. People behaved like pigs when they weren't in their own home.

She went back to the kitchen, almost ran smack into Donald on the way, and opened the freezer door for her bottle of water. It had frozen somewhat and Sarah had to be careful not to swallow any small slivers of ice, she stood basking in the icy cold of the freezer her eyes closed in bliss.

"Feel good don't it?" Anne asked smiling, her mouth full of false white teeth,

Sarah mustered a dry laugh, "you have _no_ idea," she pressed her hot pink cheek to the freezing surface of metal on the inside of the freezer door and sighed.

The microwave dinged and Anne got busy cutting open the egg bag and getting them out to the customers. Sarah willed herself to relax for a moment to spare her grip on sanity.

She was supposed to be in a car right now, riding shotgun and manning the cassettes while Alana drove her, Bev, and Jude down to ocean city. Music blasting, windows down, smelling like suntan lotion and sunshine, the ocean and the sweet musky salt air only a few hours away. It was painful enough that tears threatened to brim down her cheeks. College had come and gone and the four of them had stayed in touch despite the curveballs life threw at them. Graduated, working, living in a place of their own, all of them full of energy and hope.

All except for her.

"Good morning Ma'am, how can I help you?" Sarah said, her mouth and eyes aching with the stretch of her false smile.

"Yes dear, I just wanted to let you know that you're out of pepper-"

"I'm sorry ma'am, we ran out of pepper yesterday." Sarah turned, her smile dropped and her expression creased with exhaustion.

Her friends had been extremely upset, but Sarah insisted they go without her, she just had to do this again tomorrow morning and then she could catch a bus down to meet them.

Dead-end job. College dropout. Disappointment. Worthless.

Sarah couldn't fight the scowl that had etched into her face anymore, a fat drop of sweat curved around her cheek and dripped onto her shirt. She, Donald and Anne worked fast to put away the utensils and food when breakfast was over. Guests were still coming down and Sarah was snapped at by a man who thought it fair to take out his annoyance that breakfast was over on her.

Fair.

Life wasn't fair.

Even through the vinyl gloves the water was scalding as she washed the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher to be disinfected. The harsh smell of chlorine made her gag and she quickly shut the door with a barely smothered growl.

Damp, dirty and sticky Sarah punched out of work, walking at a brisk furious pace to her car, outside was worse than the kitchen, the heat blistered down and Sarah flicked the sweat from her brow.

Suddenly sitting in her car, hotter than hell, Sarah paused to collect herself. The sweltering seconds ticked by in silence as the turmoil in her brain churned into a violent froth before she finally regained her breath and could manage a coherent thought.

With a soft sigh Sarah turned on her car and started the air conditioner, she fought with the crank on her car door to roll down the windows before she backed up and drove out of the hotel parking lot.

….

Freshly showered, Sarah flopped onto her bed in nothing but her towel. Her parents were both at work and Toby was over at a friends house. He'd just started highschool and unlike when she was his age he had endless amounts of friends. More than a decade had passed since she'd set foot in that place and there was nobody left who would connect the weirdo who play-acted in public to the blonde haired, bright, affable adolescent.

Sarah was glad of that, she'd been a strange child, and an even stranger teenager, she'd never cared about being socially acceptable. Her father thought it was because of her mother's death, but Sarah knew, she felt that she would have been strange regardless. When she was younger she didn't understand people as whole entities, only thin flat paper mache creatures, only her feelings mattered because anything else was incomprehensible to her.

Then she had the dream.

The glittering, frightening, amazing dream. She had been irrevocably altered. Slowly but surely in the waking world the people around her took shape and form. Though false, the memories of the dream had shattered her innocent assumptions of the world. People were self-contained universes unto themselves, they had feelings and thoughts different from her, and those feelings could be changed by her. By her actions.

Before she didn't understand that even if she didn't mean harm she could still do harm. Harm that was permanent, even if it was healed it left a mental scar, an impression.

Before the dream she had been so painfully lonely, confused and isolated. Her feelings and those of others were beyond her grasp to understand or describe, she only knew how to react, not empathize.

Now, years later, she was better at it. It was still a mystery to her sometimes, how other people worked. But she was more practiced at acting the way they expected her too, reacting and saying what was expected to be said. Little falsities and lies the people in this world told themselves and others over points of pride, greed, or pain.

It was exhausting to dwell on. And Sarah was always exhausted.

Sitting up, Sarah tried to muster the energy to comb out her hair, her eyes were still closed when the phone downstairs started to ring. Sarah got up with a jerk and grumbled darkly as she made her way downstairs, in the kitchen she picked up the phone and pulled the spiral cord away from her bare leg.

"Hello?"

"Hello may I speak to Sarah? It's Denise."

It was her manager's voice. Sarah felt a tight twist in her gut and she licked her lips before she responded,

"Sarah here, did I forget something at work?"

"No, I wanted to call you to ask if you could cover breakfast on monday through wednesday-"

Sarah wasn't able to hear the rest of her manager's sentence, her rush of anger and frustration bubbled over and after a moment it simmered down to tighten even deeper in her stomach.

"Denise. We only have thirty arrivals over the next few days-"

"I know but Vicki can't make it, we're going to need you to cover those days too."

Sarah grit her teeth.

"Oh and can you cover another shift in laundry?"

Sarah laughed, "Am I even on front desk anymore? Am I ever going to get back on nightshift?" she was shaking, her eyesight was blurry and her heartbeat was throbbing in her ears. If she wasn't able to make it down to ocean city it would be another year at least until the next time she saw any of her friends. No one in her hometown her age had ever gotten over her adolescent quirks, this vacation had been the only real spark of excitement that Sarah had felt in almost a year.

"I'm sorry but that's just where we need you right now-"

"So you're just not going to hire anyone else, because its so convinent that Sarah can do four different fucking jobs." and never over thirty-eight hours a week. God-forbid.

The line was quiet but Sarah wasn't going to wait for a response, the anger in her gut had exploded and a fat hot tear ran down her cheek.

"I told you when I was hired, _eleven months ago,_ that I was going to need this week off and my request off had been submitted since I started-"

"Sarah I'm sorry but I told you we can't guarantee any requests off based on hotel availability-"

"_You've had so much time to hire someone to do breakfast! And Laundry! You've had months Denise!_" Sarah could hear her voice crack and her fist that balled up her towel tight around her throbbed in pain, "_If you can't afford to keep your shitty hotel adequately staffed then that's __**your problem- **__don't ask me to be your fucking schedule band-aid anymore- __**because I quit!" **_

The loud smack of plastic against plastic echoed in the silent kitchen as Sarah slammed the phone down on the receiver. Flushed, breathing heavily, Sarah stood shaking as another tear slipped past over her red angry skin.

Immediately she felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders, almost dizzy she made her way back to her room and sat down on her bed.

_Well… fuck… _

Heart throbbing, Sarah felt a coiled burst of energy propell her on her feet. She was already packed to go, all she had to do was call a taxi and go to the bus station. She could worry about finding a new job when she got back -hell maybe Bev or Alana knew something that might help her. Jude had already offered Sarah a space in her apartment a few months back but Sarah had to turn it down at the time because of her dad's surgery. He was fine now, even with one less kidney, and there really wasn't anything else to keep Sarah from asking Jude if she still had the room.

_No… there's nothing else… _

Sarah threw her towel into her laundry hamper and hastily yanked on her clothes, her mouth was smiling as she called the cab company and started getting her bags downstairs.

Hastily she scrawled a note to her family that she was leaving a day early and that she would call them when she got to the hotel. Several minutes later she heard a honk from the taxi outside and she wasted no time grabbing her stuff and bolting out the door.

Sarah got into the car with a big grin on her face, the air was warm and the sun was shining, she could almost smell the sea.

…

The rocking of the bus had long put Sarah into a doze, her mind was filled with happy daydreams of surprising her friends at ocean city and living with Jude in her sunny little apartment in Harrisburg. Maybe she'd get a job at a library, or even the huge bookshop by the market that she and Jude always went to when she could make a visit.

So long as she could afford to live there Sarah knew she'd be far happier sleeping on a couch than living at home. The days had melted into months that had just… slipped by. It was scary, losing so much time in a haze of exhaustion and work. Sarah didn't want to waste a moment more.

Behind her closed eyes she floated adrift in a sea of feather soft blankets. The weight that rested in her lap, her bag, was replaced with the shape of Jude's beloved cat. Smiling, Sarah brushed her fingers over his thick fur, plump, plush, and gently warm.

Her easy peace was shattered when a sharp noise cut through her cotton candy dream. A man's shrill scream scalded Sarah's ears, it hardly sounded human. Too high and piercing, the end of the noise was ragged and cut off at a gasp. Her core froze as some ancient part of her recognized the sound of death.

Half out of her mind with sleep, Sarah stood amidst dark disjointed chaos. Men, Women, children, screaming in an impossible falsetto of noise. The bus and the sky outside was pitch back but for the small dim lights onboard. Sarah woke fully shrouded in the blackest kind of nightmare.

"_He's got a knife! _

Sarah spun, clutching her pack to her chest, as she sought were the voice had come from. With a jerk the bus stopped as the driver had managed to pull over, Sarah would have fallen if not for the seats that were packed so close together.

People scrambled past, fleeing the sight that she was unable to look away from.

A male figure was feverishly striking a prone body. Stringy ropes of wine-dark blood glittered in the dull light and Sarah saw the limp body of the man exhale and a mist of blood sprayed from his mouth like a cloud of black gnats. A knife was flashing in the hand of the attacker, a blade of moonsilver bathed black.

A bolt of panic pushed Sarah into the aisle, the man with the knife looked up at her from the back of the bus, only paces away. Even in the dark Sarah could see the oily gleam of madness that was slick over his eyes.

Behind her, she heard a child's voice, mumbling words like a prayer. Her palms slicked with sweat and she shouldered her bag, still holding the madman's gaze.

Was this about money? An argument? Was this guy on drugs or not the right ones?

Sarah slowly stepped back, away from the knife and the dying man whose voice had cut her dream apart.

Some magic made it so that she went ignored, mouth grinning wide the man with mad eyes went back to stabbing the dead meat beneath him. Not hesitating, Sarah walked backwards down the aisle until her back hit the driver's seat. She almost bolted out but the child's voice held her still. Her eyes searched and she found the little boy, maybe six, cowering beneath a seat.

Sarah lunged toward him and pulled him out and in his terror he screamed and fought against her.

Too scared, her ears too full of the pounding of her heart and the wet sounds of a blade tearing through still hot meat, Sarah gathered the boy in her arms with a tight grip and flew from the bus. Her sight was a blur as she leapt out and landed in the grass. She stood and immediately saw her fellow passengers and, teeth gritted, she sprinted to them.

The boy she held had stopped fighting her, when she stopped running she moved to look at his face. He was still frightened, his face slick with tears, but his expression changed to an uneasy nervousness as he looked at her.

Sarah balanced him on her hip with a well practiced motion and smoothed back his hair with her free hand. "Are you hurt?" She asked him softly.

Wide-eyed, the little boy shook his head no.

"Who were you with? Do you see them?" Sarah looked around her at the strangers faces, her heart still raced as she heard the busdriver and some other men bar the bus door from opening. People all around her were yelling, crying, screaming. One man held a brick-like cellphone to his ear and was frantically speaking into the receiver.

"_DAVEY!? DAVEY?" _A woman's frantic voice approached Sarah and she turned to see a woman, her face white in the moonlight, reaching for the boy with outstretched arms.

_"Mommy!" _The boy in Sarah's arms began to cry at the sight of her and he reached for his mother. Sarah handed him over and felt some relief as they held each other.

_"Thank you! Thank you so much- I thought he was still on the bus but I got pushed out-" _

Sarah tried to think of what to say but she only nodded dumbly. She turned to look inside the dark windows of the bus and saw that the man was standing looking out at all of them. His mouth was moving but whatever it was he spoke was only for himself and the man that lay dead beside him.

The wind picked up and blew strands of Sarah's hair loose from her ponytail, the summer night air was sticky with the promise of electricity and rain.

_What's going to happen now? Will the police want to question me? Will they take me home? I can't go all the way to Ocean City in my car- it's falling apart… _

Sarah realized that it wasn't likely she'd be able to get to ocean city now, but she felt nothing. Her eyes returned to the man in the bus and she shuddered as his gaze met hers.

Off in the distance a low wail could be heard above the human voices and the rustling of the trees and grass. Sarah felt a twinge of relief, the police would be here soon and there would be nothing else to fear.

The sky rumbled and a growl of thunder echoed, followed by the cusp of another wail. Some of the other passengers quieted to listen. Sarah realized that the wail was not a siren, but instead an animals, her heart stilled as she held alert, listening.

Low and mournful, a long howl rose like the crest of a wave above the swaying trees and the rolling thunder.

Her face paled in the night and she looked around, seeing others faces slack and blank with confusion. Wolves didn't live here. Not since they were slaughtered by the colonists who stripped this land bare and killed her children. But yet the low long howl of a wolf ballooned up from off in the distance.

_Must be the wind blowing through a dead tree… or something… wolves don't live here… maybe it's a dog… _

A chorus rose up and all thoughts of stray dogs and coyotes were shattered. Dozens of howls rang out, close enough that Sarah could almost taste their hot breath on the wind. She spun on her heels, her eyes searching the woods that surrounded the road, and twinkling between dark leaves and black bark was the flashing eyes of a predator.

There was a sound of metal being struck and Sarah turned again to see large dark shapes melt out of the night and begin to encircle the bus. On the inside she saw a tall black figure facing the madman still trapped inside. The bus driver and some other passengers began screaming at them to get out, until they saw the large looming shapes that dripped out of the dark.

The sounds of fear and confusion split the air around her, Sarah stood alone amidst it, her eyes transfixed on the vague shadowy predators. Their eyes glowed a rainbow of colors, flashing like silver and gold, their fur glistened with a familiar iridescent glow. It wasn't just the cry of the wolves she now heard, the growls and roars and yowls of hunters with four legs and two eyes echoed in the star-smattered darkness.

Some stood on the top of the bus, others paced around, their smokey black mouths curling back and snarling, exposing white ivory teeth. Still more stood watch, their glowing ghostly eyes staring at Sarah and the remaining passengers.

Hands sweaty, Sarah returned her gaze to the inside of the bus, just in time to see the killer break open a window and fall gracelessly to the hard pebbled ground.

The sound of his body hitting the dirt caused a stir in the ghostly creatures, their glowing eyes all turned on him, ivory teeth bared and snarling as he rose. He was bleeding, eyes wild, face gaunt and grey, waxen. Surrounded by unforgiving hissing smoke wreathed teeth and luminous flashing eyes.

"_You…" _

Sarah blinked and the tall dark visage of a woman appeared before her, as instantly and miraculous as the living shadows that were now herding the murderer towards the woods. Yipping and biting at his heels, growing more and more excited with each cry of distress that came from him.

"You are his champion," the dark-eyed woman said to Sarah. In a moment her eyes flashed, rainbow, silver and gold. She was as black and dark as the dancing sharp-toothed predators, her teeth too as white and pointed. She dripped with smoke, her dazzling terrible beauty took Sarah back in time when she was a teenager. Face to face with another horribly beautiful creature, a man that melted from silver-blue mist, the man from her dream.

Memories rushed forth, once covered by time and the touch of a dream now burst vibrant and loud in her mind. Clarity spilled over Sarah's eyes and down her spine to tighten into a knot in her stomach.

The woman smiled at Sarah gently.

"Who called you here?" Sarah whispered, her grey-hazel eyes hard on the queenly woman.

With an elegant hand tipped in golden claws she gestured to the little boy still held by his mother. None paid any attention to Sarah or the woman, and it only took a moment for her to understand their stillness. The bus driver, the other passengers, all stood like statues, bewitched. The murderer had finally bolted, Sarah saw his retreating form dash into the woods, the shadowed predators close behind, screaming with joy.

"I take the wicked when I am called. Those with evil in their hearts and in their minds. Those that are dangerous and unrepentant in their deeds."

Sarah studied the woman's face, the smooth round curve of her cheeks and dazzling glowing eyes, the glow of the moon and stars dyed her skin dark velvet blue. She was dressed in fine hunting leathers, beaded and intricate, the sword at her hip was wicked and jagged, the blade black as obsidian.

"Are you his wife?"

It was the only conclusion Sarah could think of. But the night-clad woman only broke out into laughter, happy as spring sunshine, she laughed and her white teeth flashed sharp.

"_Nay child, _I am an ally. As you are, his champion."

Sarah frowned but she brushed her questions aside. "Are you a knight of his then?" Sarah's brow furrowed, she had never seen another like the Goblin King in his realm. She recalled the vast stretch of desert that lay beyond the labyrinth and wondered if there was more she hadn't seen.

The queenly woman shook her head of long braids, each woven with jewels and precious stones. "I am the King of the Wildfolk. I rule over the beasts and the hunt. I am King of Blood and Silver Night."

It sounded very grand, Sarah nodded as if it meant something to her beyond a posh sounding title. "Am I unaffected by your magic because of him?"

The King of Night shook her head, "you speak to me because I wish it. My curiosity begs me to ask, why have you not gone to him on this the eve of war? Has your heart grown faint champion?"

Sarah's slack expression was all the answer she needed.

"_I see… _He has not told you…"

"Told me what? _What war? _Sarah's mind flitted to the faces of her friends, Sir Didymus, Ludo and Hoggle. "_Are they safe?" _she asked hastily, her voice quelled by shock now rose in anxiety.

The King of Beasts looked at her with curiosity, "Seeing that you have been left in ignorance, perhaps it would be better if you heard it from him."

Sarah's eyes widened and she stilled. Until the moment she had seen this king before her she had only remembered her quest in the half-memories of a dream. Now she recalled everything with full clarity, unshrouded by the dream. The fear, the anguish, the faces of her friends who came to her in dreams, years later, to comfort her in times of need.

She'd never thought she'd get to return the favor.

"Are they in danger? My friends?" Sarah asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"They are all in danger." The King of Beasts said gravely.

Off in the distance the shriek of a dying man cut into the night, the king's eyes flashed red and gold and her mouth softly smiled. "My task here is done. Shall you stay or will you come with me?"

Sarah stared into the King's wild glowing eyes and her jaw clenched. The last time she went and came back not a moment had passed in her world. No one had been the wiser of her and Toby's disappearance.

_They are all in danger… _

"Yes, please. Take me to him, I need to know what's going on." Even as she spoke a shiver rattled through her. Uncertainty. When would she get home? What would happen to her?

Sarah remembered her bags still in the bus. "Can I take my stuff with me?" Sarah asked the king. "I- I don't know when and where I'll get back."

"Prudent. Worry not, I'll have it fetched for you." The King of Beasts called forth one of her smokey monsters, this one had the shape of a great cat as big as a horse. "Can you ride?"

"Ride-?" Sarah didn't have a chance to say anymore when the huge creature knelt before her, its bright gold eyes staring fixed at hers. Sarah swallowed nervously.

"Fear not. You are not of wicked mind or heart. Hold his fur tight and squeeze your legs to his flank and you will not fall." The King touched Sarah's shoulder and she nearly flinched at the surge of magic that flowed through her.

Before she knew it the King had helped her onto the beast's back, the smoke obscured her vision but Sarah's hands found purchase in soft silken fur. Her legs instinctively clamped down and she lay low, hugging the huge creature's neck.

"Take her to the house of the Goblin King." The dark King spoke in low sweet words as the beast stood. "I will come soon after. Say my name and his lords will be obliged to take you to him." Then to Sarah she lay a queenly hand on her forearm, "and to you I thank, not many champions wish to return, and you his only are most precious to us."

Hazel-grey eyes steely, Sarah only replied. "Don't thank me. I'm just going to help my friends, if I can."

The King's face smiled and shone with all the beauty of the stars. "You are a champion of the Goblin King. There is no help that you may offer than we can refuse."

And then she was gone. The bus was gone and the woods were gone and the smell of iron blood was gone. Black night gave way to the rosy petal haze of the underground.

Sarah sat astride a massive cat, leopard-like in build, it's cloak of smoke vanished, replaced by gleaming iridescent black fur. She was in the center of a grand courtyard, the stone and architecture and the magical sheen that coated everything was achingly familiar.

She was back in the castle beyond the labyrinth.

Her eyes filled with tears as a bittersweet homesickness hit her. The sky was that of just cresting dawn or the nearly setting sun, it never changed, but this strange sky still called to Sarah sweetly. Eternal star-speckled twilight.

_I missed this… _Sarah reached out to touch a curling vine that hung close to her hand. _I missed this… _

Her mount moved suddenly and Sarah yelped and clung to him. She heard a deep rattling chuckle and huffed under her breath.

"Easy for you, you're used to being this big." She muttered.

"No doubt I would be just as clumsy as you champion, if I were asked to ride another." The deep rumbling baritone of the leopard startled Sarah, but only for a moment.

"My name is Sarah." She said.

He nodded, "If that is what you wish. Be careful Sarah. Do not let just anyone know your full name, lest they be tempted to do you mischief."

Sarah kept her eyes on the courtyard, overgrown and wild, "Thanks for the tourist tip." She ducked to avoid the low hanging branch of a fruit tree. Everything was gleaming with magic, the very air fizzled like dissolving sugar. Sarah's eyes took it all in, noting some minute changes from her memories covered by the dream.

_Not everything can be recalled perfectly. _Sarah mused to herself. Yes this land looked a touch darker, more severe, but the beauty was enhanced too. The vibrant flowers, the richness of the green leaves and the smells of nature. Sarah sat upright on her guide, more confident that she would not fall, and watched for any eyes that would notice them.

She saw none, only the small fairies that paid her no mind. Sarah was led into the castle and felt herself getting more and more anxious the closer they got to the throne room. It had been years, but she still remembered his severity, his harsh and taunting words. How deep he cut her with only his voice.

_You are his champion. You alone have bested him. _

Bested. Shattering the dream. Taking back Toby after she had selfishly wished him away.

_I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave._

Sweet words for a lie. Love has no room for fear or slaves. Sarah's hands gripped her guides fur tighter. If he felt it he made no comment. Soon they had walked far enough into the castle to hear voices. The rabble of the goblins was loud and in high color.

Her guide growled softly and made a circuit to pace.

"Are we lost?" Sarah asked softly.

"Nay, we are barred," the leopard led her away from the loudness of the music, "I must find one of his lord's to escort us."

"I didn't see any lord's when I was here,"

Her guide rumbled, "And you would not during your quest."

"Why not?"

"Those are his rules." Her guide replied simply.

Sarah frowned, "And your king, she takes the wicked in the same way he takes the unwanted?"

There was a pause. "More or less." her guided rounded a corner and they both caught sight of some darting movement. Without warning Sarah's guide launched himself after the fleeing form and Sarah held on for dear life. Fear clutched her heart and she screamed as they chased after the scampering figure.

Within the maze of corridors and hallways the oil-slick predator quickly cornered the lord. Sarah had to assume it was a lord, for it was unlike anything else she had seen in the Goblin King's castle. Extremely well dressed, covered in downy brown fur with delicate horns on his forehead. Something about his whispers and and the shape of his limbs was goblin-like, but he held the size of a full grown man.

"Cease your flight. I come bearing the champion of the Goblin King. I am sent by my master, she calls a meeting between our monarchs."

The goblin lord, still shaking but somewhat calmer, twisted his fingers together in worry, "I beg your patience, our master is testing another, by his law he is not to be disturbed." the lord met Sarah's gaze and he bowed to her. "Be pleased champion, you are in good health I trust?"

Feeling uncomfortable looking so far down on the goblin lord Sarah swung her leg over and slid down the flank of her guide. She landed heavily in front of the goblin but did not stumble.

"I've been better. Thank you for asking, and please, Call me Sarah,"

He bowed to her again, "Sarah then."

"What is your name?"

"I am Lord Dewey." The goat-like goblin smoothed his fine white vest and straightened his cuffs. "I am our kings tailor."

_Not surprising… _Sarah thought as she looked him over, he stood about a head taller than her, and covering his rat-like feet were soft-leather boots.

"I've not had the chance to ask your name yet," She spoke quietly to her guide, "I'm sorry for not asking sooner."

"Be at ease Sarah. The names of beasts are not oft thought of. My king named me Lapis, you may use it if it pleases you."

Sarah offered a small smile, "It does, thank you."

Lord Dewey straightened himself, "Well, where shall I put you to wait? Where… where..? There are the gardens? The library? There are the kitchens? The ballroom? Shall we wait for him in the ballroom? You were there once before I think, made quite a splash if I recall."

"As I recall I broke something," Sarah said flatly. She didn't remember the ballroom with any nostalgia, now that she was older the thought of it made her feel claustrophobic and crushed.

Ignorant of her mood Lord Dewey only laughed, "Yes you did! Very persuasive! Come, we shall wait there for my master."

Stiff-lipped, Sarah and Lapis followed the goblin lord. At long last they came upon the gilded doors and they were led inside. Sarah gasped in shock, the brilliant white mirrored room was tarnished and grey, nature was reclaiming this space. Trees and grass grew from the cracks in the stone and tile, flowers blossomed and insects flitted to and fro.

Sarah opened her mouth to ask what had happened when she noticed the chair lying beneath a shattered mirror, almost unnoticeable in the dark. She pressed her lips together and gritted her teeth.

Time had passed here. More than ten years time by the size of the trees that loomed over her and grew through the broken stained glass ceiling. That is unless magic had something to do with it.

Sarah stood and leaned against one of the many trees, Lapis sat beside her and she made a quick note of his face. His muzzle was longer and thinner than what would be expected of a cat's, his eyes still glowed and reflected iridescent, pupils of silver and gold, just as they had in her world. When he sat down, the top of her head barely met his shoulder.

"Champion Sarah," Lord Dewey addressed her, "May I ask you a question?"

"It's just Sarah, go ahead."

He wrung his hands, "Ah, well, the rest of our lord's court would likely wish to meet you, after you and the king of beasts have addressed him-"

"I would like to see my friends," Sarah interrupted, "Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus."

Lord Dewey nodded nervously, "Yes, I see. I'll see what I can do to fetch them. Sir Didymus can only be pulled from his station for a short period of time I'm afraid, and only with my master's permission."

"He didn't need the goblin king's permission to leave when he helped me."

Lord Dewey gave Sarah a smile, "Oh yes he did. If he found your cause worthy, and he must have if he followed you."

Sarah blinked, her confusion and the tightness in her stomach mounted. Her clear eyes moved over the ruined ballroom again. _How long must I wait?_

"Fret not, you are his champion. I doubt my master would refuse your request-"

"What does that mean exactly? _His champion?" _Sarah strode over to the middle of the ballroom, where, another lifetime ago she danced with him. "_All I did was get my brother back!" _

"You refused him." The King of the Beasts emerged from behind one of the trees, her movements were silent as fog as she went to Sarah. Her claws tipped in gold, gone were her hunting leathers and now she wore black breeches and hose, her vest and cloak adored with silver threaded stars. "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, you fought your way to the castle beyond his labyrinth and took back the child that you wished away. For your will is as strong as his, and your kingdom shall be as great- you proved he held no sway over you. A champion. His Champion. She who would be king should he fall."

Sarah felt her blood drain and flush to her stomach to cramp painfully.

_Should he fall? _

"The kingdoms of the underground are at the brink of war, and yet you, his only champion, were kept ignorant without your consent." The king made her way to the ballroom's doors. "We shall interrogate him Sarah," she reached out a queenly hand for Sarah to take. Feeling a spark of anger Sarah went and took the King of Beasts arm in arm and walked in stride with her.

_He didn't tell me that my friends were in danger? When I could be helping? When… it seems that it was expected of me? _

Sarah's mouth twisted into a steely frown, not noticing the appreciative smile across the King of Beasts face.

"M-Madam! Please! Mistress of the hunt I beg you do not interrupt him-" Lord Dewey trailed after them, speaking quickly. "He is testing another may-be champion- He has explicit orders-"

"That is very fine and well good sir, but observe that I do not give a damn." The King of Night and Moonlight hissed and pulled Sarah along at a vicious pace. Nearly running, Sarah could hear Lapis trot behind them underneath Lord Dewey's frantic protests.

Her breath high in her throat, Sarah and the Beastly King met the door to the throne room and Sarah could hear the tone of the Goblin King's voice rumble through the thick wood. The dark King threw the doors open with a sweeping gesture of her hand and they were met with an orange haze.

Sarah's anger was stilled as, from the smoke and orange mist emerged the figure of the Goblin king. After so much time he was still slender-limbed, the back that faced them was still proud and straight, his hair like a lion's mane and dazzling like winter sun.

The goblins that clustered his throne rioted when they set eyes on Sarah and the King of Beasts. Crying, screaming, they all came scrabbling and squalling around them, reaching out to her with joy.

"Sarah! It's Sarah!"

"She's back! She's back!"

"Come see Sarah!"

"_Silence!" _The Goblin King snapped, his words an ill-tempered hiss, "Do not lie to me you little toads-" It was then he turned. It was then his eyes fell on her. He was just the same and completely alien all at once.

He held an infant clutched to his chest, his long gloved fingers gentle over the small sleeping bundle. He was dressed in black silks and black leather, at his throat was a jeweled collar, from the back of his belt trailed a whip uncoiled, lazy like a rat's tail.

And he was still. Still as stone. The only thing that moved was the baby in his arms. An impossible silence stretched in the throne room and even the goblins stilled themselves. The Goblin King's eyes bored into hers, his expression slowly changed from uninhibited shock to a cold, icy wall. His eyes, one blue, one black, finally tore away from Sarah.

"Take her back." his voice was as hard as stone.

"I will if she wishes," The King of Beasts released Sarah's arm and folded hers across her chest.

"_Take. Her. Back." _he growled through gritted teeth, this was the king Sarah remembered.

"_I will if she asks." _The King of Beasts said.

Jareth went toward his fellow king, only pausing to pass the infant to Lord Dewey, he completely ignored Sarah. "Place her where you stole her from and be done with testing my-"

"HEY!"

Everyone turned to Sarah. "She didn't take me! I came her of my own free will." She said sharply. Her anger came worming it's way back and she found the courage to step forward to the Goblin King and stare him down.

"What about my friends? Huh? If you're going to war then I'm entitled to know if they're in danger. Aren't I?"

His cold eyes narrowed and his mouth curved into a deeper frown, "You're human Sarah, you went back home, you made your choice! There is nothing left for you here!"

"She is your champion! It is not your decision! It is hers!" The Beastly King reached a queenly hand to his shoulder but Jareth slipped from her touch.

"_Quiet!" _His furious hissing voice was enough to make Sarah's face pale. "Sarah is not bound to you, this is none of your business!"

"I'm bound to you then!" Sarah's hot anger burned the ears of everyone in the throne room, "And this is my business! And I will stay here until I'm sure my friends will be safe!"

Her words echoed loud around them. The pupil in Jareth's one blue eye constricted to a pinpoint of fire, his scowl was everything she remembered and more.

"Dewey."

"_Ah- Y-yes master?" _

"Take the babe to the nursery. Her would-be champion failed_." _

"Yes sir. Right away." And Lord Dewey hurried off, the baby in his arms.

The Goblin King went back up the stairs to his throne, still misted with faint wisps of orange. He sat back leisurely, one leg thrown over the arm of the chair. His hands were clasped in front of him, covering his mouth.

"Sarah. What all do you know?" he finally spoke to her. And there was none of his sweet promises or bitter reprimand or scolding. Only his cold sharp stare and the agitated tapping of his foot.

Sarah straightened her back as she said to him, "I was told that there will be war here in the underground. That I'm your champion, and that I am to take over if you are felled. Whatever that means."

"_If I am felled means what it means!" _Jareth snapped, "It means if I _die _in war _you _will be the Goblin King _if you stay here!" _just as quickly as he sat down, he stood and kicked at some of the rubbish that littered his throne room. "Go back home! The kingdoms have warred with one another for _millenia- _one little girl isn't capable of changing that. But she can be trapped here if she decides to be foolish."

He stopped his pacing to stand before her, his anger visibly eased, "Don't be foolish Sarah. Go home, forget the underground. Live your mortal life unaltered."

"But If you died I would be King?" Sarah stared at him, her expression lax.

"Yes." his word was clipped short on his sharp teeth.

_Is that what happened to you? _

She wanted to ask, the tremendous pressure to ask nearly broke her sealed lips. But there were more pressing questions.

"Who would lead your kingdom if you fall?" Sarah asked softly.

"No one would." The King of Beasts answered, "His lands and his people would be absorbed by the other kingdoms and subject to their rule. As it was in the beginning, thirty-three kingdoms are now seven."

_His lands? __**His people? **_

"Would they be safe? The goblins?"

Behind her she heard the Goblin King's low scoff, "War is as war does Sarah."

Sarah's heart sank, _I'm going to take that as a no… _

"Am I the only one then? The only one that can take over?"

"_Sarah!" _Jareth's voice scolded her, "this is not a labour meant for you! Go back home! Go back to your books and little brother and whatever else it is you do! _Leave me!"_

Sarah's mind filled with the faces of her family, her friends, the beach and the sea she was supposed to be heading to. She saw the dead man on the bus, his blood dripping off a flashing bright knife, the mist of blood as he exhaled his last. Her eyes looked down at the goblins, her eyes filling with hot tears as she saw their little bodies lying bloodied and broken, their homes crushed to dust to make way for another stronger kingdom.

She saw him, winter blonde hair painted black with blood. Mismatched eyes finally twins, only clouded and sightless, vacant. She saw him rotting, bloated and festering, no one left to bury their king.

Sarah hardly felt the wetness on her cheeks when she faced Jareth's angry toothy grimace, "I swear to stay here until this danger has passed."

His sharp eyes widened and his mouth was slack, then his teeth clenched and he swept his hand over her as if to banish her. But nothing happened. Jareth looked at his hand in disbelief and the bright laughter of the Beastly King rang out around them.

"So that is that then! My brother in arms and kingship, it seems you have your champion whether you wish it or not."


	2. Hot Water

Sarah could not ever remember seeing the Goblin King so angry. His fair face flushed pink as he stared murder at the king of blood and silver moonlight.

"_Damn you!" _his balled up fist struck the stone arm of his throne hard enough to make Sarah flinch, _"And damn me! Damn me for instilling even a modicum of responsibility or duty into you little girl!" _His eyes were burning as he glared at her, his words were a hot, feral hiss. Then, just as quickly, he threw up his hands before settling them on his waist and sighed wearily. His temper gone just as quickly as it had flared.

"I'm not a little girl," Sarah said, her hands clenched into fists as her heart thudded in her chest. "I wasn't when you took Toby- even though I acted like it- and I'm definitely not now."

Jareth's shoulders shook with silent mocking laughter. His gaze, now smarted with hot disdain even as a cold grin stretched his face. _"Oh but you are Sarah…" _she watched as he slipped his pink tongue over his teeth. "You would not stay if you knew what war was."

The frozen smile was gone as suddenly as it had arrived, he stepped down off of his throne and made way for the doors in a brisk step. _"Innocent child- _you will not last long, and then you will leave and I will be glad to be rid of you."

Sarah however was not letting him walk away from her, "So_ now_ you claim to care for my well-being? But not when I was younger? When I was fourteen? When you set your machines and goblins on me?"

As she talked and taunted she kept in stride with him just at his heels, her stare hot on the back of his stupid fluffy hair. But at the last of it he'd had enough, Jareth spun to speak and Sarah very nearly bumbled into him.

He sneered at her, "Do you have... _any… _idea how little of my kingdom you saw? The paths I kept from you so that you would not be _eaten alive_ by the monsters that lurk within my labyrinth? The lengths I went to protect you Sarah! So that you would be able to go home unravaged by this world!" Once again his anger smoothed to a sigh.

"Please, go home Sarah. Before you can't forget." The suddenness of his change in emotion felt like a splash of cold water down her face. The musical softness of his voice, and the way his eyes pleaded with her was just as enticing now as it had been all those years ago. The thought of her family and her friends flashed through her mind and she almost reconsidered.

"How can I return knowing your kingdom faces such danger that you _beg _me like this?" Sarah held his gaze, no matter that it hurt.

It didn't hurt for long, his sneer was back. _"I don't beg." _he snarled and turned on his heel to leave.

Angry, Sarah moved to follow and stepped on the long black coil of whip that had been trailing behind him this whole time. Jareth yelped and Sarah felt the whip wrench itself from under her foot and-

Sarah's eyes were wide, she stared slack-jawed as what she thought was a whip curled itself in Jareth's gloved hands. He was glaring at her with a mixture of anger and shock as he smoothed over the furred texture of the-

"_Is that a tail?!" _Sarah gawked, _"A freaking- A- A tail!?" _

The King of Beasts with her ever-present smile spoke, "If she has enough power to see that much through your guise I suggest you drop it entirely dear."

Jareth gave the dark king a withering stare and after giving a growl his form began to shimmer. Before Sarah's eyes an illusion melted away, leaving glittering smoke trail away into flakes of iridescent dust.

From far away Sarah wouldn't have noticed much of a difference. He was just a little taller, harsher. His sharp teeth became the pointed fangs of a wolf and long elven ears peeked out from his winter sunshine hair. The black furred thing he held gingerly was, indeed, a tail. The right side of his face was marred around his olive black eye, old, deep scars disappeared underneath his mane of hair. But perhaps more disturbing to Sarah was that his left arm was now longer, the gloved hand no longer it's twin's mate. But to what extent Sarah could not see.

His skin had changed too. Colder. Bluer. Silver fair. Over-all he was more goblin-like. His eyes were the same though, one cold as arctic ice and the other a punctured void.

"Any more secrets you want to tell me? _Jareth?" _Sarah couldn't ever remember addressing him so aggressively. She easily saw his anger flush in his cheeks now, no longer hidden by a glamour.

He didn't speak, only flicked his long black tail and strutted away, the now visible appendage twitched to and fro like that of an irritated cat. The end of it was tapered with feathery silver blonde fur.

The King of Beasts nudged Sarah with an elbow gently, "I think I'll take my leave of you both, there is much you need to discuss."

"What if he lies to me?"

Jareth made a noise of outrage. _"Why on earth would I lie to you now!? _You're not running to get back your brother- if you insist on being my champion that makes you _heir _to my throne- _my bloody kingdom Sarah! _What in all the heavens would I lie to you about? _Hm?_"

He spread his arms wide to gesture all around and spoke in such an acidic tone Sarah could feel her face grow hot. She felt her lips curl back and a frustrated knot in her gut clenched tight.

"If you don't cut out that attitude I'll tie that tail of yours into a knot." Sarah's words came out sharp and fast. She watched as Jareth's eyes widened and his mouth became slack, his reaction gave her courage.

"Are you done? Because I'd like a real explanation of what's going on. What's this war about? What other kingdoms are there? What kind of- of _powers- _do I suddenly have that I wasn't told about? _And where the hell are my friends?" _

Sarah stood with her feet apart, hands on her hips and her shoulders strong as she spoke. She'd had enough of grown men acting like children. She was a champion, she meant something here in the underground. She had the power of position to defend herself. Not like in the real world where she was just a hotel employee and had to take whatever lip some spoiled man-child decided to dump on her.

Bright laughter filled the corridor and both Sarah and Jareth turned to see the Beastly King laughing. Her smile stretched wide and her fanged teeth glinted in the light, she only paused long enough to wave them farewell before she vanished.

Hands still on her hips, Sarah gave Jareth a look, "Guess you're stuck with me."

Icy eyes moved to meet her gaze, "you can leave whenever you like, how do you think you got home before? That wasn't my doing." He turned and walked away but before Sarah could get another question out he spoke. "If you cannot be convinced the leave, I suppose I must house you. How about a room, hm?"

He didn't wait for her to answer, only resumed walking down the hallway. Deciding to take this in stride Sarah shouldered her pack and caught up with him to walk by his side. She felt a flare of anxiety for her other luggage, but the King of Beasts seemed trustworthy. More-so than the Goblin King at any rate.

The walk through his physics defying abomination of a castle was a silent one. Sarah kept glancing at his tail, and his left arm. Her head full of questions. It was only when she had to step behind him on a very narrow set of stairs that she saw one of his legs was longer than the other. The slight difference was evened out with the heel and style of his shoes, an almost seamless illusion.

"Why have you disguised yourself all this time?" Sarah asked once they had reached the top of the stairs. A tail, uneven arms and legs, the scars around his right eye. It was all a little much to take in.

The Goblin King exhaled a sigh. "Most of my maybe champions are adolescents or younger, I've found that looking more human leads to less... irritation." He looked down at her then and Sarah was surprised to see him smirk.

"Babies always go for the ears." Jareth tugged on one of his elfin earlobes and his smirk turned into a genuine smile.

Sarah didn't return it. "Have you always looked like this?" she asked softly.

The King shook his head, "The underground changes all that live here. All whom you may meet with the power of speech either of tongue or hand were once mortal."

"Hand?"

Jareth stopped walking and made a few gestures, it only Sarah a moment to understand what he was doing.

"_Sign language!" _

His eyebrows rose, "Is that what you call it?" He started walking again and Sarah rushed to catch up.

"So I'll change too? Like you?" Her voice hid a note of anxiousness.

"Everyone does if they stay here long enough. Don't fret. Decades would have to pass in the world above until you'd notice." His eyes grew cold, "If I had my way you'd be back home before anyone knew you were gone."

Home. Her family. Her friends. The ocean. The bus. The man on the bus. Garnet blood flashing against a silver blade.

Sarah blinked hard to clear her head.

They climbed yet another set of stairs and Sarah was beginning to lag behind. Her day had been long, frustrainting, traumatic, and world shattering. Just that morning she had been sweating in a hot humid hotel kitchen and now she was following behind the man that still lingered in her unsteady nightmares and confusing dreams.

As Sarah walked she looked down at her shoes. Some small dark speckles were flecked over the white tip of her chucks and she realized that it was blood from the murdered man on the bus.

His blood, black in the moonlight, the dark misty spray of it as he breathed his last.

Without warning Sarah's stomach lurched, hot saliva gushed into her mouth as for a split second the world became a blur.

Then she puked.

Dizzy, lightheaded, she heaved again and coughed, hot bile and spit drooled from her mouth that was open in a silent scream. Her eyes were squeezed tight and tears slipped down her hot skin.

That man had died for no reason. He'd died in some miserable greyhound bus in the middle of nowhere and the last thing he saw before he died had been some unhinged lunatic. It was the kind of thing that happened on television, not in real life, not to real people.

But Sarah had his blood on her shoes. It had dried there and she didn't even know.

_"Sarah!"_

She coughed and wheezed, her hands groping the wall for balance. Firm hands gripped her by the shoulders and held her steady.

"Sarah…" was that concern she could hear?

Sarah shuddered at the taste of vomit in her mouth, her eyes watered and another tear fell down her cheek. She opened her eyes to see that all of his haughty viciousness was gone, a calm but stern seriousness smoothed over his sharp features.

_"I need to sit down," _Sarah's voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Can you walk?"

Sarah nodded and let him keep his hand on her shoulder as they walked up the last flight of stairs and into a dark hallway. With a wave of his hand the door unlatched and he ushered her inside. Candles lit themselves one by one as he walked her towards the bed. Once Sarah was sitting she gingerly touched her face with her hands. She was hot, damp, and sticky. A mess.

"Can someone fetch me a washbasin and a pitcher? I need some towels."

Sarah looked up to see that Jareth had called down the hallway before he shut the door. The light in the room was dim, thick dark curtains covered the window and from what Sarah could see the furniture was well-made but spartan.

Jareth went to her and helped her take off her pack. Without a word he knelt at her feet and took off the glove of his right hand to start unlacing her shoes.

Sarah's head was still spinning and she wondered if she was hallucinating what he was doing.

He either ignored or didn't notice her stare. Soon one shoe was off, then the other. He stood up and she watched his eyes take note of her clothing, she could almost see each thought get recorded and organized as his gaze slid from her jeans to her shirt.

Jareth sighed and scratched the bridge of his nose with his ungloved hand. _"I need water and towels." _He called out again with a note of impatience. Grumbling, he went over to the small fireplace across from the bed and started filling it with wood.

The pounding in her head got to be too much and Sarah lay down on the bed, her legs bent at the knee dangled off of the edge off the mattress. She struggled to form a thought, to feel something that wasn't numbness. But she felt used up, like a tube of toothpaste all wrung out.

The glow of a fire warmed the backs of her closed eyelids and she opened her eyes to see Jareth standing a few feet from her, his gloved hand tapped the wood of the bed as he held her in a serious expression.

"Sorry." Sarah rasped.

"There has been worse things on my castle floors, I assure you," Jareth moved out of her sight and Sarah heard the sound of him pulling back the curtains. She heard the door open and Sarah slowly sat up only to feel whatever blood that was still left in her face drain away.

More monstrous than her king, the grey-skinned woman carried the bowl, pitcher and towels he'd called for. Her ears were long like his, her hands were skeletal and clawed, the feet that peeked from under her skirts were long and rat-like. She regarded Sarah quietly, luminous black eyes more curious than anything.

Jareth quickly went over and unburdened her. "Fetch Cass, this woman needs medical attention. I want a bath readied for her and any spare clothing you think might fit-"

_Oh god- Is he actually going to be taking care of me? _

"Jareth-" Sarah rasped, catching both of their attention. _"I'm fine." _

The Goblin King rolled his eyes at her, "she vomited Biyu, does that sound like _fine_ to you?"

"It sounds like a sane person's response to your presence." Biyu said cuttingly, the tone of her voice shocked Sarah but Jareth only scoffed at her, earning him a gentle cuff on his shoulder. Biyu left the room swiftly, her orange dress fluttering around her scaly rat-like feet.

Unaffected by the woman's rudeness Jareth came over to Sarah and set the bowl and pitcher at her feet.

_"You are not fine," _he growled at her as he poured the water into the bowl.

"I'm not sick-"

"You were just sick all over my floor! What about that says _fine _to you?"

Sarah felt her stomach churn, his kindness was making her feel embarrassed, it would have been easier if he'd kept yelling at her. She cleared her hot throat, "I just- ugh. Something happened before I came here. Don't worry about it."

_"Worry!? You just pledged in front of the Mistress of the Hunt that you would fight for me! You're a child! You're innocent! You're not ready for war and all his horrors-" _

Sarah shakily lowered herself to lay on her side and the movement immediately caught his attention. Once again his cold eyes stared at her face, alert and searching for something. Sarah watched as he reached over the edge of the bed to touch her with his ungloved hand. She flinched away from him.

A calming murmur slipped from his lips, "I just want to feel your temperature," he said gently. He reached for her again and Sarah allowed him to touch her forehead.

After a moment he pulled away, "clammy." He muttered under his breath. Sarah heard him wet and wring out a cloth. "What happened before you came here?" His voice was stern.

Sarah studied his expression as he pressed a cool cloth to her forehead. There was no hint of the feverish need she had once seen there twelve years ago.

Twelve years. It felt like a lifetime.

"I was on a bus." Sarah started, she didn't even know if he knew what a bus was. "Do you know what a bus is?"

Quietly Jareth shook his head no. He had finished wiping down her face and was now cleaning the sick from her hands. Sarah made to sit up but one look from him made her lay back with a sigh.

"Okay, you know what a car is?"

Jareth's brow furrowed and he looked down as he thought. "An automobile." He said after a moment, his gaze returning to hers.

"Yeah, well a bus is an automobile that can carry a lot of people."

"Like a train."

"Mhm, but on a road."

Jareth nodded and started wiping down her other hand.

"I was going to-" _he's not gonna know what ocean city means _"-to the beach. One of my friends- his parents have a house down there. I was going on the bus, _I was supposed to go in the car but-_ they needed me at work." Sarah swallowed hard. "So that's why I was on the bus." Her eyes stung and she blinked hard. "This guy- this man- I don't know what happened- I don't know if it started with an argument or what. I don't know. I was asleep when it started. I woke up to this- this- _nut_ stabbing somebody. The bus driver pulled us over and people were running over each other to get out. I got out and grabbed this kid, his mom had been pushed out with the rush I guess and he'd been hiding under a seat. The freakin- the guy didn't care we were leaving- he just kept stabbing this man even though he was dead. There was blood everywhere. I found some on my shoes." Sarah closed her eyes and gave a long sigh.

It was only after a pregnant silence that Jareth spoke, "that was when the King of the Wildfolk was called."

Sarah nodded, she ran her fingers through her hair and blinked until the stinging in her eyes went away.

"War will be worse." Jareth said curtly. He stood and moved the bowl and pitcher to a side table by the bed. He wasn't going to let this go. Sarah gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, fighting to gather her thoughts together.

"I know." Sarah heard the sharp intake of air as the Goblin King sucked in a breath to speak, she could almost hear the spark of fire that was about to be struck into a flame.

"I know I cannot know." She continued before he could interrupt. "I know it's beyond anything I have experienced. I know it's not like TV or the movies- I know it's horrible and awful- I know people die- I know people starve- but I can't just… _abandon the labyrinth._" Sarah gathered the strength to sit up and speak, "you can't know- _you don't know- _what this place has done for me. I still see my friends in my dreams, all this time they've come for me in my time of need. They weren't just dreams were they?"

His calm gaze didn't change as he nodded.

Sarah swallowed, her throat still burned. "They've helped me so much. All these years, this place stays with me, the lessons I've learned, they've helped me become someone-"

_Worthless..._

"-_Someone who helps!_" Sarah forced herself to continue, "I want to be responsible, I want to be reliable, _useful!"_ Her mouth curved into a grimace. "I can't just go back knowing my friends could end up like that man on the bus." She felt the prickle behind her eyes and she quickly wiped at them. "And everyone else here- I can't- I have to do something-"

Jareth had folded his arms together while he had listened. Sarah took note of how quiet he was, at the thoughtful expression that faced the floor by her bed, his eyes were full of thoughts she couldn't begin to guess at. He was so different from the man she remembered.

She jumped when he suddenly laughed. It was a dry sound, bitter. "Yes I daresay you have changed." He chuckled and went over to finish pulling open the curtains.

"You have the right attitude for a champion that's for certain," he leisurely brushed away a fleck of dust at the thick fabric and smoothed it in his hands. "I will admit, it has become a pressing issue of late. Traditionally each king has at least a dozen, especially in times of war." Not looking at her he unlatched and opened the window and unshuttered it, letting in the hazy pink light of the underground.

"Why am I the only one?" Sarah tucked her hair behind her ears.

Jareth sighed, "for the same reasons I don't like scaring children unnecessarily. My labyrinth in a maze of riddles and puzzles, illusions both practical and magical. No show of strength or intelligence can defeat me, the only way through is the way paved by your integrity, courage and selflessness." He gave Sarah a crooked smile, "I made myself handsome and perfect, but the ones you trusted were those who proved their heart. The folk who would be judged as monstrous and evil were the ones you put your faith in. You sacrificed for them, braved danger to protect them, you won my labyrinth because you were willing to throw away everything to get back your brother," his smile widened to a smirk, "even me."

That brought back some color to her cheeks, but it wasn't flattery that put it there. _"I was fourteen you creep!" _

Jareth laughed out loud and Sarah grimaced at the sight of his wolfish teeth. "That's part of the trial Sarah, temptation. I will say this honestly to set your mind at ease, I have never had romantic feelings for you. Temptation is just one of the challenges you must prevail against, and you did."

Sarah searched his face for any twitch, and sign of deception, "relationships between a grown man and a child aren't romantic, they're _sick_."

"But you thought you were grown before my labyrinth?" He gave her an amused look, "do you deny it?"

Fourteen years old. She'd thought she was capable of getting whatever she wanted. And she wanted him. The king in the book that was powerful, omnipotent, rendered fragile by the love he felt for a human girl. That's what she wanted. That was her fantasy.

Her run in the labyrinth had shown her he was cruel, manipulative and selfish. As selfish as she was. She hated it. She refused to let herself be _anything_ like him.

"No." Sarah had to look away from him. "So… you were just testing me?" It was all a lie?

"Of course." Jareth finished opening the last window and unshuttered it, revealing the immense stretch of forest behind his castle. "If the heart of the one who calls for me seeks romance I change myself to suit that particular want. If it's something meaningless like wealth or power I offer a seat at my court, treasure, whatever it is. Most give into their selfish desires and fail my labyrinth."

She wasn't sure if she could believe him. "But the book…"

Jareth have her a glance, "each kingdom in the underground has a book." He began, "there are thirty-three books for each kingdom that calls in your world. Each of these thirty three books has a similar narrative of its kingdom. Each book will adjust itself to make the need to call upon its monarch as tempting as possible for the reader. Sometimes my books promise gold, sometimes they promise kingship, sometimes they promise me." He shrugged, the casualness of his gesture was ruined somewhat by his fancy black silk shirt.

"Isn't that annoying? Having to flirt with adolescent girls?"

Sarah saw Jareth's lips smile, "depends on the girl," he looked at her, "you were particularly fun. Stubborn, sassy, you weren't intimidated despite being so young. I never had a clue what was going to come out of your mouth after I ceased speaking." He took a step toward the end of the bed, "and you never backed down, no matter how awful I was." He sighed and shook his head, "usually as soon as they start crying I just send them home-"

"And if they beg?"

Jareth gave her an odd look, "beg… for me?"

_"No! _Beg for their brother- or- sibling, whoever it was they wished away!"

"Oh!" His fingers were tapping on the wooden bedpost, "well if they fail my labyrinth that's it. Some ask to be taken instead so I honor their request." He inspected the nails on his gloveless hand in a bored way, "both only get sent back if they defeat me."

Despite how tired and sick she felt Sarah's need to know kept her sitting up right and attentive. "The King- the Mistress of the Hunt… she said that there used to be… thirty-three kingdoms?"

He nodded.

"Have you always been King?"

He shook his head, his soft expression was now gone and seriousness sharped his eyes.

"Who did you wish away?"

Sarah watched his strange blue-silver hued skin pale almost to paper white, but before he could speak the door opened again. Biyu had returned, her arms full of brightly colored cloth, beside her was another goblin woman. She was a dark greenish-grey and Sarah could see the curve of her breasts in the naked stretch of skin from her throat to the barely closed shirt that had been hastily stuffed in her breeches. She was short and thickly built, her fangs and ears stuck out and her rich red auburn hair was swept over her broad shoulders in messy waves.

"Cass-" Jareth addressed the red-haired goblin woman, "this is Sarah, she's suffered a mild shock-"

"Led'down yer glamour too soon eh? Ya lanky bastard." Cass gave her monarch a toothy smile and stroad toward Sarah. Before she could protest the woman was testing her temperature and giving her a good look over.

"I witnessed a murder." Sarah said as she looked into Cass's ochr yellow eyes. She didn't protest Jareth's diagnosis, she had puked after all and still didn't feel right. Shaky, nervous, exhausted but wired. Talking to Jareth was helping her keep preoccupied. Calm.

Cass didn't look impressed, "well if 'at's all 'at made ya sick 'ere's not much 'at can be done. 'Ats brain stuff 'at is, don't 'ave much for tha'" she checked Sarah's pupils, "ya ain't get any nicks on ye? Bumps an brusies an tha' like?"

"I wasn't hurt,"

Cass sighed and swore under her breath, "nothin' fer a shock like 'at 'cept some food an rest. Keep shit-all quiet up 'ere then so's she can sleep." Cass nodded to Sarah, "an you rest up now darlin', if he starts fussin' on ya jus' holler-"

_"I don't fuss!" _

"Yes ye do!" Cass began walking out and Jareth followed, his face tinged mauve. "There ain't nothin' wrong wit' her ye couldna handled by yerself-"

They walked out and Sarah saw Jareth open his mouth to argue when Biyu closed the door. An argument continued out in the hallway, the words were too muffled for Sarah to make out what they were saying. Biyu returned to the simple wardrobe near the door and went about putting the clothing away. Sarah stared at the door numbly.

He hadn't loved her. It was all fake. Just a test. All at once she was proud of her own strength and _furious_ he had so easily convinced her.

_Better than if he'd been serious about it… _

With him and his powers that would have ended very badly for her. It seemed as well as dropping the glamour to hide his goblinish appearance, Jareth was also putting away the act. She wasn't being tested anymore, he would have nothing to gain by lying, especially now. Her heart was conflicted, it seemed she'd never really knew him at all.

The door suddenly opened and Jareth walked back in, "-talk to me about being _fussy," _he growled as he shut the door, his tail flicking back and forth in irritation.

Unaffected by her King's mood Biyu touched his forearm to get his attention. "There is a spare tub in one of the store rooms, I tried to get it but it's gotten stuck-"

"I'll help you," Jareth disposed of his ruffled expression the moment Biyu spoke to him. "Sarah, will you be alright alone?" the eyes on her were the ones she saw in her dreams, but now it felt like she was looking at a stranger. She didn't know how to deal with him now that he was being _nice._

"I-I don't need to bathe- you don't need to bother-"

"It's no bother." Biyu spoke to her, her smooth voice held only a hint of an accent that Sarah couldn't name. "We help each other around here."

Sarah looked at the strange woman, Biyu didn't have the bearing of a servant, kings don't offer to help their servants. In fact Sarah had never heard any mention of servants in the castle.

"You might feel a little better after some hot water." Biyu added.

Sarah bit her lip, her mind churned sluggishly. "As… as long as it isn't a hassle…" She finally relented.

"It's not, I assure you." Biyu gave Sarah a small smile before leaving the room.

Jareth's steady gaze hadn't left her. "You will be alright alone then?"

_I'm not alright at all. I'm never going to be the same. _

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine."

His mouth twitched into a soft frown and he shook a finger at her. _"Liar." _

No sooner than he spoke he was out the door, a whisp of blonde hair flashed and he was gone. For the first time in hours Sarah was alone with her thoughts. Her many, many thoughts.

_What have I gotten myself into? _

A war? What did she know about war? The faded tattoo of numbers on her great aunt's arm. The half-whispered stories Sarah had heard at her funeral so many years ago.

War was hell. Beyond the tales human beings whispered to each other by camp-fire light. Sarah wasn't a fighter, she didn't run track or hike or anything that might help her now. All she could do was hope Jareth didn't die, what did she know about running a kingdom?

_How can I help them? How fucking cocky am I that I thought I could be of any use? _

But if Jareth did die there would be no one to rule his kingdom. The Mistress of the Hunt had said his lands and people would be divided. Sarah's hands clenched at the memory of her great aunt, how her dark eyes had watered when Sarah asked why she didn't have any pictures of when she was young.

_I can't … I can't leave. I won't. I refuse. I have to keep this kingdom safe. Jareth be damned. _

Wringing her hands, Sarah stood from the bed and began to walk around the room. It wasn't anything grand to be certain, nothing like she might have expected from a kings home. The fireplace was small, just big enough to provide light and warmth, and by it were some dark metal pipes, the purpose of which Sarah couldn't guess. Finding that she was no longer dizzy, she went to the open windows and took in the view beyond the castle.

A dark, endless swath of forest stretched out to the peaks of the mountains she could see in the distance. The mountains themselves stretched to the sky at impossible heights, their peaks were marble white and glowed pink and gold in the hazy sunset sky. It was beautiful enough to render Sarah's mind blissfully empty for a few moments. A warm breeze kissed her face and tugged on a few strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail.

_His champion. His heir. Could I really rule all of this one day?_

The door opened and Sarah turned at the sound, Jareth and Biyu set a sizable copper tub down by the fire. Sarah saw the irritation on the Goblin King's face and crossed her arms over her chest when he walked over to her.

_"You shouldn't be standing," _he scolded.

Sarah's eyebrows rose, "Is that fussing I hear?"

"Just sit down." He snapped, exasperated.

"I feel fine." Sarah insisted, "really, I'm not going to faint."

The Goblin King huffed and rolled his eyes before he crossed his arms and leaned against the window frame beside Sarah. The sound of water hitting metal caught Sarah's attention and she looked over to the fireplace to see Biyu had a bucket under the mysterious pipes and water was pouring from one of them.

Beside her she heard Jareth sigh and she glanced over to see him worrying the tip of a gloved finger with his teeth. He looked down at her and his thin lips pursed into a bloodless line as his brow furrowed.

"I've never had a champion…" he murmured, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he looked Sarah over.

"I wasn't aware," Sarah said dryly.

"Oh! You know what I mean!" Jareth scoffed and turned to face the open window, "there's so much to teach you! And unteach you. I have no idea where to begin!" His gloved fingers went to his mouth again, "what to say…"

"So you accept my being here?" She asked, astonished that he had accepted her so easily.

"Me? Accept?" Jareth gave a little laugh, "my wishes have no weight in the matter, you've made that abundantly clear." He put his hands on his hips and looked at her directly, there was a softness in his gaze. "But I digress, I'd much rather you safe at home. You do remember how to go home Sarah? You have that power, should you ever need it."

Stunned, Sarah opened her mouth to speak but no words came out as her mind became blank. Go home? Do it herself?

"How?" Her voice was a hoarse croak.

But Jareth only tilted his head at her, his luminous eyes just the same as they ever were, "you'll remember, you don't just forget something like that. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how, magic in the underground works differently for everyone." Then he sighed and looked back out over the great forest beyond the castle. "I could send you back myself but I'd need your permission."

"You won't have it." Sarah said immediately.

Jareth smirked, "stubborn as ever."

A loud clatter caught both Jareth and Sarah's attention and before she knew it he had hurried past her and was picking up the bucket of water himself.

"I told you to tell me when it was full-" Jareth scolded, a loud splash echoed in the room as he poured the water into a pot by the fire.

"You were speaking with Sarah, I didn't want to interrupt."

"As if what we were discussing would ever be so important." Jareth spoke with a sour curl at his lip, but instead of being cowed by his flash of temper Biyu's soft face glowed with a loving smile. Her king only sucked his teeth at her and pushed the pot over the fire to heat with a huff.

"I'll bring up some dinner then," Biyu said before she turned to leave.

"Never mind that, I can do it." Jareth barked, "there are things Sarah and I need to discuss, and I'll not have us disturbed. Tell the court they'll meet her tomorrow."

"As you wish my king." Biyu said with all the fondness and good humor of a grandmother. She met Sarah's wide eyes and gave the young woman a warm smile and a wink before closing the door behind her.

Sarah's jaw clenched as she returned her gaze to the back of the Goblin King's head but she didn't voice her disdain. Biyu didn't seem to mind, so maybe the tone he took with her wasn't as harsh as she felt it was.

"Will I have to wait until I meet your court until I can see my friends?" Sarah asked sourly.

She watched as Jareth started before giving her a glance, "if I could simply call them here I would." His voice was dark and sullen, "as it is, Hog-face is busy working at the perimeter of my kingdom. Sir Diddymus cannot be fetched from the bog of eternal stench- not without me or Lal taking his place… and Ludo?" Jareth rolled his eyes and shook his head, "who knows where that bloody troll is… their kind aren't bound by any kingdom, they could be anywhere."

Sarah's expression softened as she took this in, she leaned back against one of the beds poles. "Hoggle is busy because of the war then?"

Jareth nodded, "his knowledge of the earth and terrain are unparalleled in my kingdom, he is managing a team to fortify our defenses."

"And what about Sir Diddymus? He's just guarding a smelly bog-"

"It's not just a bog." Jareth's voice cut Sarah off with the quickness of a honed blade, his tail flicked in irritation before coiling itself around his leg. He stuffed more wood onto the fire and checked the water before pulling up a stool to sit down by faucet. It wasn't until he started filling the bucket with water that Sarah found her voice.

"So you hid the truth of it from me too? Like you did your tail?" Sarah stepped forward now, her hand caught on the last bed pole and she stood at the end of it, watching him.

"I had to. You were just a little girl." He glared up at her. "_You're still a little girl." _

If Sarah hadn't thrown up over dried blood on her shoes she would have protested, but as it was she kept her shoulder's square in the way her stepmother had taught her. "I can't just go back home and pretend this place is okay."

There was a moment of tense silence, then-

"I could modify your memory...after some days rest... and send you back home none the wiser."

Sarah's eyes shot back to his, she could feel the blood rise to her cheeks and the furrow that cut into her brow, the only thing that stilled her shout was the look on his face- imploring her to leave. Leave and be safe.

So she said nothing. Only glared at him until he had to avert his eyes.

"_Don't offer me that again." _She croaked.

"Understood." He snapped. Jareth shut off the faucet and took the bucket over to the copper tub and dumped it in. He went back down to sit and began filling up a new bucket.

"Well, _my champion,_" he spat the words out like they tasted foul, "seeing as you're determined to fling yourself into danger I have no choice!" He didn't look at her, only stared into the fire as he spoke in clipped angry words with eyes as dark as the sea.

"This is the water faucet. As you can see, _this _is how you may draw your own bath." Jareth tapped the faucet the bucket was sitting under, almost as if to make Sarah feel stupid. "We don't have modern washrooms around here- So you must be thinking- 'have these savages got no loo here?' And you'd be right! Not a loo in any sense you'd be familiar with."

Jareth unceremoniously pointed under the bed, "do you know what a chamber pot is Sarah?" he asked her testily.

As hot as her face felt she shook her head, she had a feeling she was about to find out.

"Ah! Of course you wouldn't know! They were out of date even when I was a lad! But we still used them on the farm- a chamber pot is just that- a pot you relieve yourself in. Most of this castle is a maze, but right now we're in the living quarters, which are acceptably organized- no upside down stairs to be found here- so when you've used your pot you may find a cleaning chamber at the end of each hall. Within which you'll quickly find the basin to clean your pot in. Everyone here is in charge of their own chamber pot, and it must be cleaned out every morning and after each use during the day. Those were the rules when I came here, and to this day those rules remain. Any questions?"

Sarah had a lot actually. The most pressing one came out of her mouth first. "What uh… what do I use..?" Sarah stopped, feeling awkward that she was talking about bathroom business with a man that maintained a hairstyle that looked like he had stuck a fork into an electrical socket for giggles.

"Bum fodder?" the words that smacked into her ears nearly gave her whiplash, and though it was a sincerely placed question Sarah nearly choked on her own snort of laughter at the absurdity just came from his mouth.

_"B-bum fodder?" _

Jareth rolled his eyes, "each chamber pot comes with a bucket that has rag scraps in it- bum fodder, whatever you want to call it. They are disposed of in the cleaning room in a bucket by the sink. Those buckets are then taken to the compost area in the garden. And please- when you toss your used rags- close the _damn_ lid."

With that he shut off the faucet and dumped the second bucket into the tub. "Your menstrual rags go in the same bucket as the bum fodder- feel free to ask any of the goblin lords how to make them. I doubt you'd wish to learn it from me."

His frank way of speaking about her period shocked Sarah out of her giggles. Another flood of questions washed through her and the first one that had sparked in her brain flooded out of her mouth.

"Why do you know how to make a pad?" Sarah remembered reading once that before tampons and adhesive pads women would have to wear garter-like contraptions to hold their makeshift cloth pads in place. How the pads were actually constructed was unknown to her, and it seemed utterly bizarre that Jareth- a man- knew how to make one.

Jareth however, seemed a little bewildered by her question. "It's essential," he said with a half hearted shrug. "I know how to make a lot of things. We have to be self-sufficient here."

Sarah wanted to ask him more about the pad thing, it really was strange to her how unflustered he was about it, her stepmother hadn't even been so forthright when it came to periods. But when Sarah tried to construct a sentence her embarrassment held her back, he was a man, even if he acted like he didn't care Sarah knew it must be a disgusting subject for him to speak of.

"You really don't act much like a king…" she said after a while.

Jareth dumped another bucket of water into the tub, a wry smile had stretched his face and a twinkle of dry humor was in his eye. "I'm less of a king and more of a caretaker."

The bucket was set down with a light tap and he sat down with a soft sigh before turning the water on again. "But _caretaker of the goblins_ doesn't sound very impressive does it?" He hummed to himself, "so I am called a king instead. As are all the other kings in the underground. That's how it was at first anyway..."

Sensing the mood, Sarah went to the fireplace and sat down near Jareth to hear him speak. This was yet another reason to stay, to finally satisfy her curiosity about _this place. _

But instead Jareth sighed, "our history is a very long one. I couldn't tell it to you in the time it takes to get your bath ready. We would be here for several days at least."

"Summarize." Sarah had already crossed her legs and was resting her elbows on her knees. "Or at the least tell me what this war is about."

Jareth looked down at her and though his mouth was curved in a gentle smile his eyes were misty. "Both are intertwined I'm afraid, and as murky as my blasted bog." Jareth shut off the faucet once more and poured another bucket into the tub. Once he sat down again he held his gloveless hand over the pot in the fire, feeling the fresh steam rolling off the slowly heating water.

"I'll tell you the bare bones of it, and if you insist on staying longer I will answer your questions as best I can." He said finally. "The underground has always been since our world began." He pointed at Sarah and then to himself, "the world where _we _come from. Not the planet earth itself, _but our world." _He was quiet for a moment as he looked at her, "do you follow?"

Sarah rested her chin in her hands, _our world… _"people..?" She ventured hesitantly.

Jareth nodded, "_we _gave the underground life." He shut off the faucet and with a flick of his wrist a clear crystal sphere appear from thin air and he held it in front of her. "From our spoken word, from the collective unconsciousness that links us all, human thought wove the fabric of the underground together. Basic earthly laws hold some sway here, but intent, _will, _can unbind them to do our bidding." With a flash the sphere was coated in a lick of blue flame before Jareth made it vanish.

"That is the nature of magic. Thought. Willpower. _Dreams. _" he picked up the bucket and poured it into the tub before sitting back down again. "Which is why magic works differently for each person that comes here."

"Because everyone is different." The realization slipped from Sarah's mouth unbidden, but Jareth only nodded at her with a quiet expression, his eyes clear were almost violet in the firelight.

"The underground is like an island. Things from earth have a habit of… drifting here." He gestured outside to the forest beyond but Sarah kept her eyes on him.

"Are we not… on earth…?" He kept referring to it as if they weren't. Sarah knew she wasn't in the US, or anywhere else she knew of, but the thought of being out in distant space somewhere was absolutely terrifying.

"We are neither here nor there. The underground just exists. We have no sun or moon. Only stars. Or at least… they look like stars." Jareth's eyes flitted to the open windows toward the sky. "I've never flown high enough to find out…

"The land and seas here never end. What is beyond the kingdoms is only known to be uninhabitable, anyone who has ventured out has never returned."

_That_ was terrifying. But still Sarah sat and gazed at him with every ounce of her attention. All thoughts of the man on the bus, her friends, her family, were kept at bay by the sound of his voice.

"As it's been said, the earliest records of the underground spoke of thirty-three kingdoms. Some that are known only to god went out into the void of the forevernight and were never seen again. What manner of folk or creature they were we can never know. Only the remnants of their civilizations were left behind. Each kingdom records their own count of seasons by how long they are governed by a ruler. Time moves differently here, a winter might be a day, and a summer may be enough days for thirty years on earth. The light above us shifts, from rosy fingered dawn to hazy purple twilight, but it is never fully noon and never fully midnight- the domain of the King of Beasts excluded of course. Her kingdom borders the forevernight, her army keeps what is beyond at bay. In times of war her land is a neutral territory, since the underground is completely reliant on her people's defense of the border."

Jareth traced a circle in the air, "her kingdom encircles the whole of what is known, her midnight woods and seas full of those with mad feral hearts keep all who live here safe."

Sarah blinked thickly, her mind going back to the man that had been wished away. "She…. Takes those that are evil?"

Jareth got up and poured another bucket of water into the tub, "yes… and no." He sat back down. "Those that are truly dangerous are let loose into the forevernight if they can't be killed. Most of her subjects are people who are wished away for being mad, melancholic, or simply misfits. Some are cruel yes, but she is a doting caretaker. Many come to her knowing only pain, and while she cannot fix the mind she can alleviate its anguish."

Sarah felt her heart throb at the gentle softness of Jareth's tone. "The two of you are close."

He smiled, the light of the fire dancing in his eyes, "she is my sister monarch, I adore her."

A piece of wood in the fireplace popped and the wood settled as it burned, the pot that was over the fire was beginning to simmer.

"The other four kings and I however, are not on such good terms." Jareth continued, "You know my title, but there are others that I have gained over the years with my rule. I have been called the master of riddles, the prince of lies, king of falsehood and misfortune… a few of my names, well-earned over these many seasons." Jareth shut off the faucet and poured the water into the tub before setting down on the stool and setting the bucket aside.

"Thirty-three kingdoms are now seven. The midnight circle, the realm of the hunt mistress that shelters us all, my labyrinth of course, caught between the sea and high mountains." Jareth's eyes grew distant as he looked past Sarah, beyond her to this endless world she had sworn to stay in. "Then there is the Dragon King, master of the molten throne. The Demon King lays claim over much of the vast deserts and the rivers that run through the sands. The Fea King resides just beyond my lands, hidden within the forests and the lakes. The Witch King keeps to their icy domain far to the south. And lying in an endless sleep our fair Summer Queen rests between the shadowed moors and the fields caught in their eternal spring."

There was a long pause between them, Sarah watched, feeling lost, as a ripple of emotion flickered over the Goblin King's face.

"Each of us lays claim to the humans that drift here, wished away, forgotten, or left for dead. We kings and lords are guardians, protectors, keepers of our people. We who were champions are sworn to shelter our kingdoms from the forevernight and the evil that finds its way here. Only the Hunt Mistress and the Witch King are strict on whom they take in, for the borders of twilight are a deadly place, and only the dead are suited to thrive in the bitter cold."

Sarah felt a shiver run through her, _"The dead?" _she whispered.

Jareth nodded, he held his hand over the simmering pot again, his expression calm, "Dead of disease, war, famine, rape, murder… anyone who was buried or burned or discarded and forgotten. They find their way here, and the Witch King comes to dig them up from the earth, breathe new life into them and take them home."

The silver prick of tears pierced behind Sarah's eyes and she blinked hard to hold them back, "Do- Do they…? What… are, are they souls?"

The king shook his winter blonde head, "Their souls are gone to where they should be, but what comes here is the discarded husk. The Witch King's duty is as important as the Mad Beast's, for if a forgotten corpse is left to fester it becomes something... _most unpleasant." _

Sarah gaped at him in horror, she felt her eyes water even in her shock, never had she imagined that this glittering world could be so dark. A sound bubbled up from her throat, muffled by her lips but loud as the shattering of crystal glass to her ears.

Jareth's eyes caught her's at the sound of tears in her voice, his stern expression melted into one of gentle compassion. After a moment he got up from his stool and made to sit closer to her, his tail curled around him and he pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and offered it to her.

As Sarah took it he spoke, "Do not be so sad for them. They have each other, and they are much better together than they are alone. The Witch King's kingdom may be cold but their heart is not, they are as good a king as their beastly sister."

Sarah sniffed, "That's comforting… at least." She dabbed at her eyes with the soft white cloth, "thank you." She handed it back to him but he took her hand in his and closed her fingers around it.

"I have far too many, please, keep it."

Mutely, Sarah nodded. After a moment of staring at the handkerchief she spoke, "So… this war then?"

Jareth gave a tired sigh. "Well… as you may have guessed the underground has been subject to many wars, the last saw me and the King of Beasts crowned monarch, and the Witch King themself made their throne in the ruined wastes that were once living woods."

Sarah nodded, her eyes focused on his as he turned to gaze into the yellow fire.

"It was so bad that those of us that remained swore to peace, and for all this time that peace has held firm. Except recently, two champions from different kingdoms began an affair. They were found out, and that is where the trouble began."

"Why would falling in love cause such trouble?" Sarah asked.

Jareth sighed, "Because they are champions, princes. If one of their monarch's passes and they become king it could destabilize both kingdoms." Jareth picked up his tail to inspect the blonde feathered fur at the end, he picked out a piece of wood and flicked it into the fire.

"In the past when two kingdoms have merged they've sometimes taken advantage of their new power and dominated the kingdoms around them. Or, other kingdoms have attacked them out of fear for this very thing. That is how, after millenia of bloodshed, thirty-three became seven. Now as it is the meadows of the Summer Queen are off limits, as is the frozen south and the dark midnight lands that border the whole of the underground. The rest of us Kings have kept to ourselves, our powers remaining equal, to keep the peace and leave the scars on the land to heal."

Jareth dropped his tail and brought his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on his knees. "That is what the bog of eternal stench is by the way, a scar."

Sarah pulled out the hairband that kept her hair tied back, her hair was limp with dried sweat from the hot bus, a few hours that felt like a lifetime ago. Memories of someone else.

"So… these two champions are causing the war?" She slipped the band over a wrist and began to comb out her hair.

"No… they are dead."

Sarah froze to look at Jareth and saw his face was set in stone. His mismatched eyes didn't move from the fireplace.

"After many meetings and negotiations it was decided that it was safe to let the champion of the Demon King and the Dragon King to wed. By marrying they agreed to give up their claim to their respective thrones so that two kingdoms would not become one and lord power over the rest as had happened before." Jareth was quiet for a moment before he spoke again, "apparently this wasn't assurance enough. They were murdered on their wedding night, the culprit is unknown, for it could be anyone who disapproved of the marriage." He exhaled through his nose, "It may not even be a king or a lord that slew them, but one of the people. There are many that remember the last war and outright opposed the union. Some even suggested that the princes be sent back aboveground, memories wiped clean."

"So nobodies fighting yet? It's just a standoff?" Sarah resumed combing her fingers through her hair.

Jareth nodded, "For now." He tore his eyes away from the fire and looked her over, "I think I've had my fill of history, hm?" He stood and dusted off his fitted pants before pulling his glove back on.

Sarah scratched at her head, "Just one more question?"

"Mm?" Jareth moved the boiling pot of water away from the fire and picked it up by the handel, he grunted as he picked it up and carried it over to the tub.

"Why is there only one queen?"

The hiss of steam and the sound of pouring water filled the room as Jareth dumped the final pot of water into the tub, silver-grey steam rose up and he waved it away before removing his glove and testing the waters temperature.

"She was one of the first monarchs of the underground. Legend says she gave up her consciousness to preserve this place. She sleeps in a temple surrounded by mist and wildflowers, guarded by her people." Jareth wiped his wet hand on his thigh and gestured to the tub.

Sarah stood and hesitantly tested the water herself, with a yelp she pulled her hand back.

"It'll cool," Jareth said unhelpfully. "Better it's scalding now than cold later."

Sarah frowned at him, but the flash of irritation quickly gave way to the buzzing thoughts crowding her mind. Meanwhile Jareth pulled over the stool and made his way to the door,

"Don't get in just yet, I'll be right back."

The door closed with a click and once again Sarah was alone with her thoughts.

_A land of the living dead… a sleeping queen… and beyond all these kingdoms we are separated from…. The forevernight… by a king and her mad beasts… _

Dragons, demons, witches and fairies… oh my.

Sarah went to the bed and sat down. Her stomach felt queasy again, but now for a whole new slew of reasons.

_I am to be his champion. Me. _

Though she knew she would not leave, could not, the weight of what she had accepted was crushing. The only thing keeping Sarah from absolutely giving up, throwing in the towel and admitting 'this is too much' was that, _she could be worth something here. _A protector, a guardian, a caretaker.

_A champion. _

_A King. _


	3. New faces and old Embraces

Sarah jolted awake with the sour smell of blood still clinging to her nose from her nightmare. The electric chill of fear ebbed as reality trickled back.

She was in the castle. The underground.

Her eyes closed and Sarah forced herself to take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Count to ten. Rinse and repeat to slow her pounding heart and dry clammy hands.

When she opened her eyes she didn't feel much better, only more focused and able. A small victory.

Sarah got out of bed and splashed cold water on her face from the ceramic bowl by her bed. Last night after Jareth had dropped off some toiletries for her and a tray of dinner he'd left her alone. And though she'd easily fallen asleep after a warm bath and hot soup, the events of the day had birthed strange wild nightmares that had nipped at her eyes all night.

The light outside the windows was brighter than yesterday, and much to her surprise, she found her luggage carefully situated at the foot of her bed. A note was placed on top which showed a crudely drawn map with an arrow pointing to a building labeled 'kitchen'.

Wasting no time, Sarah roughly unpacked a few of her things, brushed her teeth and got dressed before heading out the door. Her nightmares she left behind her in her room to battle later.

Sarah tied up her hair in a ponytail as she navigated through the castle's living quarters. The map kept her clear of the twisting madman made parts of the castle and she was soon walking across the garden that she had arrived in yesterday. The air was cool and heavy with the scent of blooming flowers. Sarah headed toward the building at the end of the walkway, its roof stretched over a large patio where several people were already sitting.

As she approached Sarah recognized Cass, who was lounging in one of the chairs, a mug set on the table in front of her. Bird song dripped in the air and glittering glass-winged insects flittered by, the magic of this place was balanced out with the mundane smell of cooking food.

Cass lazily looked over her shoulder and smiled as Sarah walked up the steps toward her. "Dinna take long fer ya to be up eh?" she took a sip of her mug and set it back down before yelling over her shoulder inside the kitchen, "_JARRETH!" _

"_What!?" _an irritable voice called out,

Cass flashed her sharp teeth at Sarah, "He's in 'ere."

A bit hesitantly Sarah stepped around the chairs, her eyes glancing to new people and new faces, folk who gave her sleepy smiles, and walked through the open doors of the building. The walls were pale plaster, dried food and herbs hung from almost every inch of space, and shelves full of jars lined the walls. Biyu stood over what had to be the stove, she was stirring something that smelled like meat in a giant wok with a spatula that looked more like a gardening tool than a cooking utensil. The Goblin King himself sat on a stool on the other side of the brick stove and was keeping watch over the fire.

Gone were his fine fitted clothes, here he was barefoot in dark baggy shirt and pants. Sarah gawked at his mismatched feet and hands, one foot was covered in black fur, the toes tipped in little claws, the other was green and shimmered in the dark light. The hand that rested on his thigh, the one that he had kept gloved yesterday, was covered in mottled spotted fur. Just like his black foot it was clawed.

"We weren't expecting you to be up so early,"

Sarah finally stopped her staring to look at Biyu, her face was just as green as yesterday, Sarah was just going to have to get used to this new weirdness.

"I've always been a bit of a morning person." Sarah lied. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jareth flick his tail and a little puff of pale ash rose up in the air. Her eyes darted back to his mismatched feet, one green, the other covered in black fur.

"CASS!"

Sarah jumped at the sound of Jareth's voice,

"_WUT?" _

"_What did you want?" _

"_I's jus yellin ta make sure yous still in 'ere so settle ya tits!" _

Jareth scoffed and rolled his eyes, he muttered something and Sarah heard Biyu chuckle. "I think it's hot enough," she said to him softly.

Jareth grunted and stood, dusting off the seat of his pants, he looked Sarah over, "Are those clothes you're not particularly fond of?"

She was just wearing her sneakers, shorts, and a loose t-shirt, Sarah shook her head.

"Good. I'll be giving you something of a tour of the gardens, it'll be muddy so I recommend leaving those shoes behind." he gestured to her to follow and walked out of the kitchen. Sarah glanced at Biyu before she followed after him, without his shoes his gait was a little odd, for one leg was longer than the other.

They walked past the gathered lords, folk of varying goblinish appearance were gathered in circles of chairs, a few were sitting at the main table where Sarah could see several kettles that were being heated over low burning candles. She could smell coffee and tea coming from them.

"Sasha… Lal… Benjamin... " Jareth's eyes surveyed the room and quietly counted out his lords, he hummed, "Does anyone know where Julian is?"

"He took the dogs out with Ash this morning," a gentle masculine voice answered.

Sarah eyes were drawn to the large dark man with coal-black dreadlocks that hung past his shoulders. She might have been frightened of him because of his sharp tusks and horns, but the pink skinned woman beside him that was braiding flowers into his beard convinced Sarah otherwise.

Jareth sighed, "well I'll have to do this without them here then…" he straightened and Sarah jumped when he lay his furry hand on her shoulder, "Everyone! I'm sure you all have guessed who this is, but suffer me for a moment to formally introduce you to Sarah. My first champion."

All manner of eyes were upon her and new fresh smiles greeted Sarah as mugs and cups raised to her. A cheer rang out and everyone whooped and hollered in welcome. Sarah felt a bit overwhelmed.

_If any of the books I've read have an ounce of truth to them then this won't be the first time I'm introduced to a lot of people…_

It wasn't even a lot really, maybe twenty pairs of eyes were looking at her. But it still felt nerve racking. Offering what she hoped was a reasonable smile, Sarah gave a little wave and felt more than heard Jareth's chuckle.

"Awwwh, she's just as shy as ye were Jarreth!" Cass giggled over her mug, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Jareth's mouth curved into a soft smile. "As I remember I was far shyer."

"And nowhere near so fine!" A man with long black hair and shimmering brown scaly skin drew closer to Sarah, his amber eyes taking note of her face with special interest. "Broke my damn automaton you did! Well done that was! Well done!"

He patted Sarah on the shoulder and she felt her anxiety ease, it was hard to feel anxious hearing the genuine warmth in this man's voice. "It's nice to meet you, what is your name?"

"Call me Cario," he smiled with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Sarah held herself firm as some primal part of her recoiled in fear.

"Sarah," Jareth's voice gently broke over her ears, she looked up to see his human hand extend to the man with flowers in his beard. "This is Mesi, and next to him is his wife Lilly."

Sarah waved and nodded to them, and so it went that Jareth put a name to each face of a goblin lord. They all were to some extent transformed by the labyrinth, by noticeable pointed ears or a change to the tint of their skin. Some were more animal-like than others, fur, scales, feathers, a few even had plants growing from their bodies. Sarah was told that the pupils were the first to go, and indeed she saw the eyes around her flash when they caught the light just right. Like chips of labradorite inlaid in human eyes.

Sarah found herself sitting at the main table, a mug of coffee had been given to her and she was sharing pleasant small-talk with the castles residents. She had expected to be inundated with questions about herself, but the folk here surprised her with their lack of interest regarding her past. The present was what they were more concerned with.

How are you feeling?

How did you sleep?

Do you want some sugar?

Sarah felt fine. In fact, she felt relieved that she wasn't being asked to unload all of herself at once. After yesterday she wasn't sure if she could have handled it well.

The questions about her fell away as more mundane conversation naturally bubbled up and she was content to sit and listen. Sarah didn't notice Jareth had left her side until he set a tray down on the table in front of her. She turned to see him darting off back into the kitchen, even as the smell of fresh bread made her mouth water.

"Feel free ta' tuck in," Cass handed Sarah a piping hot chunk of bread. "Be gone 'fore tha other batch gets out."

Sarah gently blew on the hot bread to cool it, "do they always cook breakfast in the morning?"

"_Gor_ no," Cass spoke around her food, "everyone 'ere takes a turn."

"Everyone except our king that is." Hui said over his mug of tea, his shaggy black hair hung over his handsome golden eyes. "For the interest of the public's health." He added and gave Sarah a wink that made her smile.

"Not fer lack a' tryin', bless 'im." Cass finished off her mug and poured herself some more black coffee before settling back down on the bench with a sigh.

From the other side of the table Sarah heard Mesi speak. "Would you like to join me today Lal?"

The lavender tan woman across from him who looked no older than Sarah shook her head of steel grey hair. "I'm going to be taking Diddy his rations for the week."

"Do you mean Sir. Diddymus?" Sarah blurted out.

"Yeah," Lal didn't look at Sarah as she spoke, her sleepy eyes more focused on the mug in front of her.

"Can I go with you?"

To Sarah's disappointment and confusion Lal shook her head. "Too dangerous." Was all she bothered to say.

Sarah gritted her teeth but kept silent. Lal's dismissal was she what she expected, since Jareth had warned her she hadn't seen the real thing. But…

_How dangerous can it be? _

She wrinkled her nose and ate her bread in silence, her irritation quickly forgotten as the sweet warmth practically dissolved in her mouth. Basil, thyme, garlic, rosemary. It tasted like delicately buttered heaven.

After a bit Jareth and Biyu came out carrying trays, hot food was set down and plates were passed around. Sarah stared at the unfamiliar spread laid out on the table. Aside from the fruit, which she was familiar with. There was soup that was set over a burner, a cold noodle dish, and a cold vegetable dish that had a spicy smelling sauce drizzled over it. While everything smelled appetizing it was far from what Sarah had expected.

Hui handed her a bowl full of soup, it had a rich smelling broth and was full of mushrooms, she was also given a spoon and a pair of chopsticks. That was something else Sarah hadn't expected. She saw that most everyone was using chopsticks, and that the bowls did resemble asian dishware she had seen on tv. Sarah tried to sip some of the soup but it was still too hot, so instead she got more bread and filled a smaller dish with berries.

Because the castle looked like one out of a european fairytale and Jareth was white, or at least, was before he was made king, Sarah had expected… well… she hadn't known what to expect. She hadn't even been sure she would be dining with human looking people. But as she took the time to study them she could nail a guess at what their race might have been before they began to change. Sarah quickly realized that she, Cass and Jareth were in the minority, everyone else here looked like they came from places she knew very little about.

Across the table Jareth sat down next to Lal and used his shirt to dab at his face. Lal lay her head on his shoulder, she was still holding her mug and Sarah watched as Jareth took ahold of it and brought it to his lips to drink. Biyu took the head of the table and immediately Jabari handed her a large plate of salad and she smiled at him gratefully. She leaned forward to give him a peck on his brown cheek before she sat down.

"So," Boipelo spoke, his graceful voice was accented and had the rhythm of calm ocean waves, " 'Ave you given much thought into teaching Sar-ah?" Though his question was directed to his king beside him, Boipelo's sweet brown eyes were looking at hers.

"I was going to give her a tour of the garden's." Jareth finally moved to drink his soup straight from the bowl, "That's the first thing Liqiu did with me."

Mesi hummed and raised his mug before drinking from it, "you'll have an easier time than she did."

Quiet laughter hissed through Jareth's teeth and beside him Lal's tired face finally cracked into a smile. "I daresay Sarah and I shall get on much better."

"Where is Liqiu?" Sarah asked, her small question brought a hush around the table, pausing other conversations.

Cass spoke first. "She was king 'fore our dear Jarreth 'ere."

Sarah turned to her and was taken aback by the sadness on the green-skinned woman's face.

"She held a long and mighty rein, she was a magnificent king." Mesi added.

"And well missed." Jareth's voice murmured over the quietness. He met Sarah's eyes and gave her a gentle smile, "I'll get around to showing you a painting of her sometime, hm?"

Sarah nodded, her stomach felt queasy now that she had recovered from her shock. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- make everyone sad…"

"It is good to be sad," Lilly had to lean over the table to see Sarah, "it means that we still remember her with love."

Sarah didn't know what to say to that, "Uh- okay." It was hard to look Lilly in the eye, since the pink woman didn't seem to have visible pupils.

To her relief no one seemed upset, conversation resumed and Sarah finally got to sip some of her soup. Like the bread it was perfect.

Sarah ate up and finished before most, so she sat and drank her coffee and listened. It was partly due to shyness. She didn't know what to say, and she was accustomed to waiting until she knew the people around her a little before she began to speak. When she was younger she would just say anything, and that had never won her many friends. Though she had worked hard on figuring out what were appropriate topics to speak about around acquaintances she still slipped up every now and again.

Breakfast went on much longer than she thought it would, the lords ate slowly, drank their coffee or tea, and took their time discussing things. The state of the garden, the crops, repairs in the castle and the goblin city, the nursery, the animals... an endless list of responsibilities. Jareth hardly said anything, though his plate was clean he was busying himself by braiding Lal's long silver hair while a pointy ear was turned to Mesi as the large dark man spoke.

It wasn't until the sky became brighter and the trays were picked clean of food that breakfast was over. People started to get up and dishes were carried back into the kitchen, Sarah followed suit and helped take things in. Within moments the table was cleared and Sarah could hear Mesi humming at the sink as he and his wife started to wash the dishes. She looked around, wondering what she could do to help, but there was no room.

Sarah went over to the table where Jareth and Lal were still sitting. He was nearly done braiding the other half of her hair, the long ropes of silver were tied with leather and decorated with gleaming discs of mother-of-pearl.

Lal's eyes were still closed and she almost looked like she was sleeping as she leaned into her hand on the table.

"Done." Jareth set down the finished plait of hair and peeked around to see her closed eyes. "Lal?"

"Mhm." Lal grunted and sat up, her eyes blinking. She inspected her braids before she stood, "Thanks." she stretched, her shirt lifted and Sarah saw the impressive muscles that flexed along her stomach. "Anything you want me to tell Diddy?"

"Just tell that damned idiot to be careful." Jareth got up and made his way over to Sarah, "and maybe consider taking a bath."

Lal snorted, her mouth stretched into a lazy grin. "Message received." She gave him a mock salute before turning and leaving the patio.

"Well then Sarah." Jareth stood with his hands on his hips, "Ready to go?"

She opened her mouth to speak but remembered what he'd said earlier, Sarah bent down and began taking off her shoes, "Promise me I don't have to worry about stepping on anything sharp?" She hadn't been hiking since her mother died, and even then never barefoot.

"No promises." Jareth rolled his sleeves back up and pulled the ties tight at the cuff to keep them secure.

Sarah slipped her socks off and stuffed them into her shoes, taking another glance at his mismatched feet before she straightened. "Thanks for the reassurance."

Instead of irritation he only smiled and shook his head, "come on," he gestured to her to follow and he lead her off of the patio and behind the kitchen. On the side there was a large hut for firewood and an open shed full of baskets and gardening equipment. Jareth handed Sarah a short hoe and one of the baskets. She ran her hands over it, admiring the stiff woven grass that it was made out of. Jareth shrugged on his basket and got his own hoe, which he slipped in between the rope that held the basket to his back and plucked a canteen from one of the racks.

"There's a creek not far from here, we'll go there first," Jareth put the canteen into his basket and bent down to re-adjust the hem of his pants one more time. Like his shirt the ends could be tied tight to prevent them from rolling down. He fixed them over his knees and Sarah stared at the peak of pale silver blue skin that started just above his dark furry calf. His black clawed toes flexed and he stood up straight.

Ignoring where her eyes were looking Jareth headed off into the woods. It was only a moment before he heard Sarah's soft feet padding behind him. The walk to the creek was quiet, Sarah kept pace with him and whenever he glanced to her she was looking in a new direction, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Some of the water here is tainted," Jareth explained at the edge of the water. "The first thing you must do is observe." He took a moment and then pointed to a small pool of quiet water by some stones, "See that? That's a freshwater squid, they can only survive in very clean water."

"What if I don't see any?"

"Take note of the plants surrounding the water, how do the trees look? What variety of moss is nearby? Is everything healthy? Unlike on earth you can't simply filter or boil away the taint that lingers in the underground. So you really must be careful."

Jareth took off his basket and got out the canteen to fill it, Sarah chewed on her lip as she thought of how to word her next question.

"So… like… by taint you mean what exactly?"

Jareth screwed the cap on the canteen and slipped the basket back on his back. "Do you remember last night when I said that the underground is like an island? That things tend to drift here?"

Sarah nodded as they started to walk beside the creek, Jareth sighed before he spoke.

"Magic doesn't discriminate, it simply is, and the people that come here that have evil hearts cause the air and water to taint." Jareth thought for a moment, "nature itself is neither good nor evil, animals and plants simply do what they must to survive, much of the underground is like this. A lion does not rape or bring war to the zebra, it smply hunts. Its only reason to hunt is to put food in its belly. But human beings are more complex, and in our complexity our needs shift from what is natural to what is unnatural."

"Take our breakfast this morning. The plates we ate off of weren't natural, the shade we dined under was not natural, nor are these things bad, they simply exist. We tell ourselves we need them because it makes our lives easier, we build things because we are create these needs."

Jareth paused to look around and then led Sarah away from the creek, the leaves underfoot crinked and the soft light beat down above them through the velvet green trees.

"Just as those that are foul create needs that they must satisfy. People that are ridden with greed and lust for power have sick minds, for they make needs that cannot be satisfied. In our complexity we can become savage monsters. And that creates a taint. A miasma that leaks out into the underground and sours everything it touches. "

"Then why do you let those people in?" Sarah asked, she felt a droplet of sweat bead down her face, under the patio she hadn't noticed how warm it'd gotten.

"We don't really have a choice, whether they are wished away here or slip in uninvited. They are here to stay." Jareth pulled up a branch so Sarah could duck under it. "Like I said. Nature and magic don't know good or evil. Those are human ideas."

"But then how do things get tainted?"

"The underground began as a human construct. Birthed alongside our species as we gained intelligence, insight. Thought and will hold power here, they are just as much a force of nature as a rainstorm or the wind. But human thoughts contain human concepts. We define good and evil, so the nature of magic becomes defined, depending on who wields it."

"When you are far enough in your lessons I will take you to the bog of eternal stench so that you may see what this taint can do. Grief and fear create just as much damage as lust and greed. One individual cannot cause much disruption so far from the forevernight, but a place where great tragedy and loss of life happened will remain ruined for a long, long time.

Sarah chewed on this. "You said yesterday that it was a battlefield."

Jareth nodded. "A very old one."

"So… the damage is permanent?"

"No, nothing is permanent here, just as it is on earth. But healing takes time, just as it takes time for a tree to grow."

Sarah felt she grasped the jist of it. "That's another reason to avoid war then, so that the land isn't completely ruined."

"Yes, it is also why the King of Beast's land is neutral territory, the forevernight is too close to risk bringing blight to her forests."

"What is the forevernight?"

Jareth thought for a moment. "It's a place with no light, where we are forced to banish all those who befoul the land. Anything that gets lost within it becomes corrupted." He was quiet as he walked, his eyes calmly facing forward. "Those who are already plagued with madness are the best suited to guard the twilight forests, for they are the strongest at resisting the dark tide that lures people into the endless dark."

"But… don't crazy people cause things to be tainted?" Sarah asked innocently.

Jareth gave her a narrow look, "If I had happened upon a different book it may very well be I that was made King of the Beasts. And in the same breath I must tell you that if my king had not died I would be there now, prowling the woods with the other Wildfolk." His tone was clipped and the hardness of it caused Sarah to flinch.  
"Ah… madness is a relative term." Jareth sighed, "maybe I used the wrong word to explain… Believe me, no one that carries the blessing of the Mad King would give you a reason to fear. Neurotic and melancholy and frustrating they may be, but the Wildfolk are also so much more." his voice had become smooth again, he no longer appeared angry. Sarah licked her lips before she asked another question.

"What madness did you have then?" She realized that while the word brought up images of people in straight jackets in her mind, here it must be a blanket term of sorts. For despite his temper Jareth seemed as normal as one could be in the underground.

The Goblin King's pace slowed a bit and he moved to walk beside her, his eyes were on her face, sharp and thoughtful. Sarah had to glance away under such scrutiny.

"It doesn't go away Sarah."

She looked back at him with wide eyes, "Wha-? Do you- do you see stuff?" She stammered. Her confusion was thick on her tongue and she felt like an idiot even as she spoke.

"I used to. It's better now." He answered simply. He returned his gaze to the path, his expression was distant. "I came here a broken man. A year before I had fought in the Great War, when I was sent back home, I was shattered."

Sarah gawked at him, "You… you mean World War I?"

"One?" Jareth's walking slowed to a stop, his head tilted to the side and his brow scrunched in confusion, "What do you mean _one?" _

Sarah watched as his face changed in the empty silence as she fought to string her thoughts together. The man before her transformed as a ghoulish expression crept across his face, his jaw clenched and his skin drained to a deathly white.

"T-There was World War I- and then World War II-"

"_**FUCK!" **_

Sarah's heart stopped as the Goblin King exploded in front of her. She stumbled away from him as he turned his fury on a tree beside him, her mouth open in horror as he ripped at the bark with his hands.

"_WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK WAS IT ALL FOR THEN!?" _Jareth was screaming, his clawed hand gouged deep wounds into the tree. But his burst of violence wasn't enough. Not stopping, Jareth began to pace, his chest was heaving, his cheeks white with rage.

His mismatched eyes didn't see Sarah shrink from him, he didn't see anything as he shuddered. Incoherent words spilled from his lips before he grabbed the sides of his head and _screamed. _

The ravaged human voice that tore through the trees was feral and utterly mad. The sound of it had Sarah break out into a ice-cold sweat. She backed away and slunk behind a thick tree, her heart was thudding in fear as she tried to figure out what she should do.

Trapped within himself, the Goblin King fell to his knees, out of breath and shaking hard enough that Sarah thought he might fall apart. After several agonizing moments she heard a soft cry come from the hunched over man, then another, and then to her horror Sarah realized that he was weeping.

Nervously, Sarah left her hiding place and approached him, his hands still gripped the sides of his head and his expression was hidden by a shroud of hair.

"Jareth..?" She called out softly, still a sensible distance away.

There was a pause, then-

Jareth moved to wipe at his eyes, he sniffed and a soft sob bubbled up from his throat. The sound was so unlike the voice she was used to. She watched as he slowly stood up, lifting the collar of his shirt to dry his cheeks. Then he pressed his hands to his face for what felt like an eternity. From far off in the woods the sounds of animals steadily trickled in around them.

"I'm sorry." Jareth finally moved his hands, he was still breathing deeply, and now she could see that his eyes were red with grief. "That was unacceptable- I shouldn't have frightened you."

Sarah took a step forward and her gut twisted at the sight of scratches along the right side of his face, put there by his unnatural clawed hand. His eyes still gleamed with unshed tears and he still didn't seem like he was altogether there. His shoulders were tight and his fingers curled in distress.

"I- I'm not angry at you." Sarah dared to move a little closer, "I shouldn't have brought it up-"

"You were just asking a question Sarah…" She watched as a fat tear dripped down the curve of his cheek, "you've did nothing wrong."

She hadn't gotten any taller since she had won his labyrinth, but her features had become strong as the passing years had stripped the childness from her. The gentle eyes that met his were full of compassion.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked.

Jareth closed his eyes and felt another hot tear run down his face, "I will be." A long moment passed before he shook himself. "Alright, let's go."

As if nothing had happened he walked around her and headed off down the path briskly. Sarah only hesitated briefly before going after him. Unlike before he now walked fast enough that Sarah had to trot behind him. There was no conversation, no more questions, as he kept himself ahead of her. Occasionally Sarah could hear his breath catch and see his hand come up to touch his face.

She kept quiet as she walked behind him, Sarah racked her brain for any information that she had on the first world war… but other than archduke-what-his-face there wasn't much she recalled. Her school curriculum had thought the second war more important, and so did she since Sarah still had relatives that remembered escaping Germany with forged visas.

It was a bit shocking to learn that Jareth had lived at the start of the century. Before penicillin and movies, before women could vote or wear pants. She stared at the back of his head, her mind buzzing with questions she didn't have the courage to ask. It was clear he wasn't in the mood. The tears he wept made her feel uneasy. Sarah couldn't remember the last time she saw a grown man cry, if ever. And definitely not Jareth.

And hour of walking passed. Then two. The air only got hotter and the sweat that rolled down Sarah's face and neck did little to cool her. The ground under her feet started to get wetter and Sarah's pace became sluggish as her feet sunk into dark mud. The air smelled of moss and wet rotting earth.

Jareth finally slowed down and led her down a slippery hill, they came upon field of massive leaves that grew out of dusky blue water. Sarah dared a glance at his face and to her relief his eyes were no longer red, though his expression was stern and quiet. He shrugged off his basket and offered Sarah the canteen. She thanked him and took it to drink.

"Ever see a lotus plant?"

Sarah stopped drinking only long enough to shake her head no.

Jareth gestured out to the warty field, "now you have."

She handed him the canteen and he took a drink before he set the canteen down by a tree. Jareth took his garden hoe in hand and put his basket back on and walked into the water.

"Come on, this is why we've come here," he called to her gently.

Sarah took out her hoe and followed him. "There aren't any leeches in here are there?"

"Not that I know of." He said simply.

They walked through the tall leafy plants and Sarah was thankful she had left her shoes behind. The water came up to just above her knees, it was lukewarm and the mud squelched between her toes.

Suddenly Jareth reached out and touched a leaf, he stopped and after a moment he bent down and took the hoe and started hacking at the mud and water around the base of the leaves. He pulled on the plant, feeling that it gave a little he gripped the handle of the hoe with his teeth and used both hands to dig in the mud. With a tug a pale muddy root emerged and Jareth broke off the stalks attached to it.

"This is lotus root." he explained after he'd taken the hoe out of his mouth. "When you dig them out remember to lift with your arms and to bend and stand with your legs. Try not to strain your back, hm?"

He looked up at Sarah and she stared at him for a long moment.

"That's… why we walked all the way here?" she asked, a little dumbfounded, "To harvest plants?"

"Mhm," he nodded and dropped the root behind him into his basket, "If you feel any fish swim by try to catch them would you?" and with that he stood and went a little way's off before crouching down to work on another plant.

_This… is not now I thought this would be… _

Her mouth curled in a small frown of confusion as she knelt to dig up a root herself.

He was a king, and she a champion, and here they were sweating in the miserable muggy heat and digging roots out of mud. It was all very, very different than anything she could have possibly imagined. Her room, the breakfast, the goblin lords… this… _it was all so mundane. _

After a few minutes her thoughts got lost in the rhythm of her work. Sweat dripped and mingled in the cloudy water as her basket got heavier and heavier. Before she knew it she couldn't fit anymore roots back there and she stood, looking around for the Goblin King.

"Jareth?" Sarah called out.

"Here!" his voice sounded a little way's off behind her and she turned around to follow the sound. She found him crouched near the bank in a shallower area, his basket was set aside and he wasn't looking at her, but focused intently at the water.

Before she could say anything he held up a finger to quiet her, his pupils flickered green and gold as his eyes darted to a ripple of movement a few feet away. In a flash his clawed hand shot into the water and he plucked out a fish with a triumphant laugh.

Jareth looked up at her, his face no longer plae but lilac pink and sweaty from the heat. His eyes glittered as he smiled, the claws of his spotted hand hooked into the squirming silver fish.

"_Whoa," _Sarah breathed.

Looking a little smug Jareth stood, tossing the wriggling fish into his basket with the rest of his roots. Sarah could see several other fish that lay gleaming behind the woven reeds.

"So, did you catch any?" he asked her. When Sarah didn't respond he followed her gaze to his clawed hand and gave a little sigh.

"You can ask you know." Jareth said in a tone that made Sarah jump.

"_Uh-" _

"I'm a little surprised you haven't actually." His voice was gentle again, he stepped toward her, his hairy hand outstretched.

Sarah felt her cheeks redden, "I… Didn't want to be rude…" she murmured. Curiosity overcame her trepidation and she took his hand in both of hers to study it.

Though wet, the fur was silky soft, the palm of his hand and his fingers were covered with smooth black skin. The tips of his fingers were gently curved, as if there was an additional joint Sarah couldn't see. Jareth flexed his hand and the claws that had speared the fish disappeared back into his skin, the shape of his fingers suddenly normal again.

Sarah exhailed the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The dark fur crept up his arm and disappeared under his sleeve. Following her gaze Jareth pulled his shirt sleeve up to his shoulder to show her where the dark fur stopped and his fair silvery blue skin began.

"Will…. This happen to me?" Sarah asked after a long silence.

"_Heavens no…" _she was surprised to hear his laughter, behind him his wet tail flicked in the water. "This was a gift." Jareth rolled down his sleeve to hide where the arm was frankensteined to his body.

Sarah's eyes flicked to his legs and his smile softened. "Those are gifts too." Without missing a beat he pointed to his eye, the one that was as black as an olive. "As was this."

She stared at the eye for a long time, the pale scars around it screamed out in contrast to his heat-flushed skin.

"Ready to go back?"

Silently Sarah nodded. She already felt she knew the answer to the question she desperately wanted to ask. The scream and his crying voice from earlier echoed in her mind and she shivered, grateful his back was to her and that he did not see.

The walk through the woods was harder than before, the darkening sky and the heavy basket on her back saw to that. Sarah was wet with mud and sweat, her body ached from the work and her feet grew more and more tired with each step.

But she didn't complain. Even if she had wanted to, even if she hadn't done her best to strangle the habit out of herself she wouldn't have had the audacity.

_This was a gift. _

Sarah watched the tail that trailed behind him flick lazily, she felt ashamed and embarrassed now that she had been angry at him. The man had good reason to hide behind a disguise.

She hardly noticed the scenery change as they walked, it was only when a cool breeze blew through and a heartbreakingly familiar scent filled her lungs that Sarah was pulled away from her distracting thoughts.

Rushing forward, she caught up with Jareth, "This isn't the way we took?"

"It's not." He wiped at the sweat on his brow, "You told me that you had been going to the ocean when you met my sister. Since my kingdom borders an one, I thought you'd like to see it before we went home."

Sarah's mouth dropped open and she could only stare at him as his words sank in. Jareth slowed to a stop and held out his hand, "I can carry that basket, you go on. It's just up ahead."

"_The sea?" _her voice was a whisper.

Jareth nodded, his fingers curled in a 'gimme' motion and Sarah immediately slipped off the heavy burden and placed it in his hands.

"Go on then."

Without hesitation Sarah went towards the direction of the wind, her sore feet quickly gained speed until she was sprinting through the trees. Her aching body and pounding heart felt like nothing as the salty wind caressed her hot skin. The forest around her gave way to smaller and smaller trees, and those soon faded to long lush grasses that moved in the wind to mimic the promise of ocean waves beyond.

Her legs burned and her lungs screamed at her to stop, but the pain was washed away with each fresh taste of warm sea air. Sarah fought and clawed her way up over a grassy hill and delight surged through her as she found that the ground had turned to sand. Her face crested over the top of the dune and she sucked in a gasp as the glittering expanse of the ocean stretched as far as she could see.

On wobbly legs Sarah partly climbed, half slid down the velvet soft sand, in the early sunset light it glowed peach and gold. Her mind was held only joy as she ran straight into the lilac-green waves.

The alien ocean water embraced Sarah just as it had on earth, it was cool enough to ease her aching limbs and after a few moments it became as warm as bathwater.

"_Be careful of the undertow!" _

Sarah turned to see that Jareth was standing at the top of the dune, the baskets full of lotus roots were on either side of him. Sarah waved to him to let him know she had heard.

Jareth sat down to catch his breath, he raised his arms to stretch and ease the soreness in his back. He watched Sarah wade into the waves until she could swim, her brown hair spilled around her after she pulled out her hairband. His own hair clung to his face and neck, stuck there as if his sweat was glue. The Goblin King found himself staring at his spotted hand for a moment, he'd long gotten used to it being a part of him. For a year on earth was a hundred years of days in the underground.

The woman who'd given it to him was long dead. Jareth closed her hand that was now his and wondered if she could hear him when he thought of her.

Bright happy laughter pulled him away from his memories and he quickly found where Sarah was in the water. His stern mouth twitched into a smile and he stood up. His feet carried him to the edge of the water, despite his best efforts sand stuck to his muddy tail.

"Don't go out too far Sarah!" He called to her. "The water becomes deep sooner than you'd expect!"

"If you know so much then why don't you come in?" Her voice was carried by the wind. "I won't swim past you then!"

"Give an old man a minute aye?"

Her laughter bounced off of the water and Jareth shook his head before he took off his irritating shirt.

Sarah didn't notice, too preoccupied with playing her favorite ocean game. Guessing which wave to duck under and which she could jump. The waves pulled the water out until her feet touched the sand, and then as the swell reached for her she lept. The pull of gravity released her as she floated over the swell of green water and for a moment she felt she knew what it must be like to fly.

Her long brown hair swirled in the clear water around her like milk poured into a cup of coffee. It was odd not seeing a sun or moon, but somehow the water still glittered in the hazy pink light. Above Sarah could see the twinkling of stars, their patterns strange and new.

Suddenly Sarah felt a strong hand clasp around her ankle and her scream was cut off as she was yanked down and water covered her. The hand let go and she pushed off of the sand beneath her, once her head broke over the surface Jareth's laughter replaced the saltwater in her ears.

"_What the hell Jareth!?" _Sarah scraped her hair away out of her eyes and glared at him.

He looked so different with his hair flat to his head, weighed down by water. The strange otherworldly aura he had was diminished as he pushed his wet bangs up and away from his eyes. When she was fourteen she'd never seen him laugh like this. He had laughed to be sarcastic, to be cruel. Not like this. Not with his eyes smiling with his lips as the sweetest richest sound rang around her ears.

Jareth snorted and smoothed his hair back again, his eyes alive and sparkling with mischief. "Oh that was _precious!" _his voice bubbled merrily.

Sarah frowned and splashed water at him, "What if I'd swallowed a big gulp of water huh? Would it have been precious then?"

A thick chuckle rumbled from his throat. "Try to shake hands with a joke when one greets you Sarah, it's more fun to laugh than to whine." he lay back on his back and let himself float beside her and Sarah's mouth became a fine line when she saw he'd discarded his shirt.

_Lucky… _

Eventually they had to go back. Sarah wasn't sure how long they stayed in the gentle water. The sky didn't change much, though it felt like it had been at least an hour, to which her fingers could attest.

Weary, Sarah followed after Jareth at a sluggish pace. He slowed to keep her from getting lost and eventually he walked by her side until they reached the castle gardens. Dirt and sand clung to their skin and Sarah felt her wet clothes chafe against her. Exhausted, she set down her basket of lotus roots beside his.

But the work wasn't done. She helped Jareth put the roots into buckets and then carry them to a fountain where they were washed. He took them to the patio by the kitchen and gave Sarah a chair to sit in. The roots had to be peeled. While Sarah was busy with this Jareth took his fish to be cleaned, taking them into the kitchen and then sitting by her when that was done.

She and the Goblin King weren't the only ones busy with work. From the kitchen Sarah could hear Hui's voice as he and Amira started dinner, beside her Sasha and Cario were preparing potatoes, and beside them Cass and Biyu sat. Biyu's hands were busy sewing a shirt and Cass was knitting at an amazing speed, her white blouse was open and a pipe was clamped between her teeth.

Sarah felt her stomach growl and she sighed, she felt a little lightheaded now that she was sitting down. Her hands weren't as deft at peeling as Jareth's were. He quickly finished off his roots and then helped her with hers.

"I'll put these away." his voice was soft as he took in her tired expression. Sarah only nodded in response before leaning back in her wooden chair. Her eyes had only slipped close for a moment when she felt his warm hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, you've got to wash up before dinner. Unless you want to eat smelling like salt and marsh mud."

Sarah didn't. So she followed him through the castle. The way back to her room pushed her nearly to her limit. It was only when she opened the door that Sarah realized she forgot her shoes.

Sarah groaned and rested her forehead against the doorframe.

"What is it?"

"Forgot my shoes…" She mumbled.

Behind her she heard Jareth snort, "You can get them after dinner."

Sarah wasn't sure she could climb all those stairs again but she nodded anyway and went into her room.

"There's no time to take a full bath-" She watched as Jareth stroad over to the wardrobe and pulled a large wooden basin out from underneath it. He took the cloth covering off of it and set the basin down in front of the fire. "Use this to catch the water when you wash yourself off, the drain is over there." he pointed to a previously unnoticed dip in the floor in the corner of the room where the wood sloped to end in a ring of stone that surrounded a hole in the floor. Sarah went over to peek down the hole, down quite a ways she could see a dim speck of light.

"Dinner should be ready soon, make sure you come down, hm?"

Sarah stood and nodded to him, too tired to say anything. Jareth gave her a brief nod before he left and shut the door behind him.

Exasperated by her tired brain, it took a few minutes for Sarah to figure out what he meant about the basin. Water from the faucets went into the pitcher and she poured it over her as she kneeled in the basin. It was a bit like a camp shower, and the chilly water woke her up a bit. It was invigorating to scrub the dirt and salt from her skin. As refreshing as the ocean had been she was still gunky from the muck.

Sarah dried off with a towel that Biyu had left her, dumped the grey water down the drain and got dressed in fresh shorts and a pullover. The breeze that drifted in from outside told her that the air was cooling down. Finally before she left Sarah balled up her damp smelly clothes into a corner and made her way back to the gardens.

The patio glowed with candle-light and Sarah's eyes could pick out the people she'd seen that morning as well as a few new faces. Around the chairs and people's legs dogs of every conceivable shape and size stood and sat. Sarah could see the glimmer of their eyes and their wet tongues. It wasn't long before one noticed her and let out a bark, calling the attention of the others.

A chorus of barking exploded at her approach and several dogs padded over to her to investigate. Some immediately went up to her to sniff her hands and her feet while others stood back at length and barked at her.

"Hi guys," Sarah felt her mouth stretch into a tired smile. Her own beloved friend had passed away a few years ago, and dogs were always a welcome sight to her. Sarah pet a few furry heads and made her way up the patio steps.

"_Sarah!" _

Her heart stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. Heartbreakingly familiar. It was the low gentle voice that had so often comforted her in her dreams.

"Aren't you gonna say hi to us Sarah?"

"You hush now! the lady has just returned from her bath!"

A gasp caught in her throat and Sarah raised her head away from the dogs to see her friends. All four of them stood in front of her. The magic that they'd been glamoured with when she was a child was gone, but it was _them_.

Tears immediately rose to her eyes, tiredness washed away from her limbs as she ran into Ludo's enormous arms.

"_Sarah." _It was Ludo. It was him. It was his voice. Everything felt the same, his warm body and his thick arms, and his fur. He even smelled the same, like green moss and the crackle of lightning before it hit solid stone. But when she pulled away to take in his big sweet face she saw new things too. Things Jareth had hidden from her when she was young so she wouldn't be scared.

Jagged teeth, gnarled bark-like skin, but the shape was still Ludo. His beautiful doe-like eyes beamed at her with all the kindness that she remembered.

She turned to look at Sir. Didymus, now the size of a man, but just as fox-like as before. His black lips smiled at her around his pointy muzzle and his feathery tail wagged even harder. Beside him Ambrosius stood, gone was the dog that looked like her own and in its place was a wolf the size of a horse that was trembling with his own wagging tail.

Her eyes traveled down at the sound of a disgruntled huff and at the sight of Hoggle her face scrunched up and she began to cry.

"Now just look what you did!" Sir Didymus snarled,

"I-I didn't know she was gonna _cry!" _Hoggle started to say something else but Sarah didn't hear it. She fell to her knees and squeezed the grumpy old dwarf tight, raining kisses on his cheeks and forehead, tears falling from her eyes.

"_Oh how I've missed you!" _Sarah cried, "_Oh how I've missed you all!" _

She looked up just in time to have her whole face licked by Ambrosius, who didn't stop licking until Sir. Didymus pushed him away.

"_Now! Now! Let the lady breathe Ambrosius!" _he scolded.

Sarah reached up and embraced the fox man, his long white whiskers tickled her cheeks just as they used to. She kissed his face all over and her fallen tears sat like fresh dew on his fur.

Her arms weren't big enough for all of them and it made her heart ache. Sarah felt like a part of her that she didn't know was gone had been returned to her. At length, after her tears had dried up and she'd thoroughly hugged each of her friends she remembered that the whole goblin court was watching her.

Sarah turned, a little embarrassed, and felt like she might burst into tears all over again at the smiling faces and damp eyes that gazed back at her. The Goblin King was among them. And for the second time that day Sarah saw him wipe tears from his eyes.

"_Thank you." _

Jareth laughed, his eyes were still wet. "Don't thank me, Mesi and Lilly found Ludo. And Sasha brought Hoggle back here for the night."

A warm furry fox hand lay on her shoulder and Sir. Didymus spoke, "and it was brave Lady Lal who has graciously taken over my duties at the bridge." He said, his chest puffed up with pride. "I am forever in her debt for such a kindness."

"Ah knock 'tha off ya old fart." Cass hadn't bothered to wipe away the damp trails of tears that had run down her cheeks. "Ya know she's bored as 'ell with goin' on patrol now."

"Thank you…" Sarah wiped at her face and sniffed. "Thank you all so much…"

"We reckoned ya missed 'em darlin'." a hoarse voice said. Sasha was the most goblin-looking, grey-skinned, lanky and strange. His big eyes glowed like sparks of candle light but his smile was the most human of them all.

"We missed them too if I may be perfectly honest." Mesi spoke in his gentle rumble.

Sarah nodded, for the first time in ages she felt happy. So happy she could burst.

A little tug on the edge of her pullover brought her attention to Hoggle, concern was carved into his hard rocky face. "Yer alright aren't ya? Sarah?"

She nodded, "I'm more than alright now." her smile made her whole face glow.

The Goblin Lords gave Sarah and her friends the main table and some space so that they may catch up. The hazy sunset light deepened to a royal purple, insects glowed in the garden and the smell of cooking food rose up and mingled with the sweet smell of tea and smoke.

Jareth sat in a rocking chair by Lei, a pipe in his mouth and his fingers made useful by massaging Biyu's sore hands. The sound of Cass's voice was only interrupted by bursts of laughter as she told some story from her youth that they never tired of hearing. And off in a quiet corner Lilly plucked the flowers from her sweet husbands beard, her smile only growing bigger as he recalled the name of each one.

When dinner came out Sarah was too hungry to notice what she put in her mouth. Cass yelled at Jareth when she caught him sneaking food to the dogs and Sarah laughed aloud when he threw a grape and it hit Cass dead-center in the forehead. Hui fell asleep where he sat with his arms crossed over his chest and Sasha and Biyu took turns sticking vegetable bits to his face until he woke with a start. The whole table roared with laughter and he cracked up when the vegetables fell off into his lap. Everyone took turns throwing food into Ludo's enormous mouth, a fish's head, chicken thigh, even a small pumpkin vanished down his throat.

As the night wore on Sarah's exhaustion finally caught back up with her, her eyes drooped and her head fell upon Sir. Didymus's shoulder. Her last thought before she drifted off was that she was glad he was person-sized so she could lay her head down.

Despite the noise and chatter of dinner she didn't stir, not even as the plates were cleared away and the goblin lords made their way back to the castle. Jareth and Didymus tried to rouse Sarah but after a moment Jareth simply picked her up carried her off to bed.

The thin man was well-used to carrying precious cargo. Though he was more accustomed to holding babies and toddlers. The magic that brought people here tended to attract children, just as the twilight woods pulled the mad and the icy tundra called to the dead. For out of all of the kingdoms his was considered the safest. The dark and deadly places that could be were walled off by his labyrinth. The maze was made not only to keep little one's safe, but keep what evil it contained trapped.

The dog that loved Jareth the most followed his master up the stairs to the young woman's bedroom. A small breath of magic opened the door and pulled back the blankets so the Goblin King could set his champion down undisturbed.

Jareth had tucked thousands of goblin children into bed, so automatic the motion was to him as he pulled the covers over Sarah. But as he glanced at her face once last time, to make sure she was still asleep, the adultness of her features shone in the dim light.

His heart ached, for while he loved all the children and people that were cast away here he had never loved any of the may be champions. Not until her. A knot of worry and fear twisted inside his chest as he gazed at her face, she was so stubborn, she refused to go home. And he knew now that she had grown so much, too much to be pushed away by harsh words or hard work. If war broke out, the only way she would leave was if her innocence was broken. Broken like his had been.

If he had the power to take his lords and goblin children away from the threat of war he would in an instant. But only champions and kings could travel back to earth and walk among the humans there. Anyone else who returned were released of the underground's magic and all of their years would catch up to them in an instant, those that were lucky turned to ash.

A cold wet nose nudged his hand and Jareth looked down at the shaggy black dog, a sad smile flashed over his mouth before it settled again in it's usual stern expression.

"_Go home Sarah…" _the Goblin King whispered to the sleeping woman, his musical voice soft, pleading to her a secret prayer.

"_Go home before you can't…" _


End file.
